The Rise of Mustang
by Quetou
Summary: A Pokémon Battle Revolution fanfic. Mustang is a mature, 15 year old boy. He has a past that he wants to erase and comes to Pokétopia to do so. Along the way, he faces trials and gains new friends... Not good on summaries, but it's better than it sounds.
1. 1: Departure

Hey guys I first of all want to say thank you for giving this fanfic a chance. This is basically what me and my friend think the background story is like to Pokémon Battle Revolution is like. This story is also inspired by mine and my friend's multiple battles on there. I am Mustang and he is Ace. By the way, both of the boys are Cool Boy A in Battle Revolution to help give you an idea of what they look like.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 1: Departure

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

* * *

It was a beautiful morning in Sinnoh. A young man was going to start over today. A young man who would become a legend. But what would happen to him on his journey? Only Fate can tell...

* * *

Mustang's eye shot open as a single ray of light made it's way through the blinds and landed upon his face. He began to get up and looked at his alarm clock.

The Pikachu alarm clock had the time "9:26 AM " upon the screen in red digits.

"Oh shoot! I'm late!" Mustang shouted at himself.

He ran to the bathroom and hurriedly took a shower. Ten minutes later, Mustang was dressed and dry.

He was in his usual outfit: a white T-shirt, a black jacket, and red jeans that hugged his legs tightly. He wore white and gray shoes, as well. The top of his head was also adorned by a gray hat. Mustang's eyes were a bright emerald and his mint green hair fell down to his jaw bone while his bangs stopped right above his eyes.

"Well that's more like it. But the plane to Pokétopia leaves in half an hour!" Mustang said and with that, rushed out of his apartment.

"I better save time and use Raptos to fly to the airport." said Mustang as he pulled out an Ultra Ball with a blue star seal on it. He raised it above his head and pressed the button in the center of the black ball. "Raptos, go!" A red beam of light shot out of the ball and concentrated on the ground. About a second later, a brown feathered Staraptor was in front of Mustang. On the large bird's head, there were some blue feathers upon the talon made of feathers. Mustang stood proudly looking at Raptos.

"Wow I can't believe you decided to come with me even though you're a differently colored **(A.N.: They don't ever use the term 'shiny' in the games so I may be using the term 'differently colored' for awhile)** pokémon... But we gotta go Raptos! We're leaving Sinnoh. I don't think I'll make it as a very good trainer here... So we're heading to the city of Pokétopia down in the Hanu Region **(A.N.: I'm just going to make a new region seeing as Pokétopia doesn't really have a region)** and taking on the colosseum challenges and see how we do. But we have to get to the airport by 11:00 and it's 10:45. Do you think you can get us and the suitcase there in time?"

The bird didn't have to think about it. Raptos nodded and started flapping it's powerful wings. Mustang grabbed onto it's feet with one hand while holding onto the small suitcase with the other.

"Let's fly!" Mustang yelled enthusiastically as he felt his feet lift off the ground.

They arrived at the airport at exactly 10:55. When Mustang let go of Raptos, he thanked the bird and gave it a rest inside it's Ultra Ball. Then Mustang grabbed his suitcase and ran inside. The luggage loaders **(A.N.: I have no idea what they're called)** took the bag and let Mustang onto the plane **(A.N.: If you own Battle Revolution, the plane on is the orange vehicle pass so that's what the plane is like)**.

Mustang had to admit, this was quite the plane! It had 4 floors and 9 rows on each floor while the rows had 5 seats each. He then noticed an empty window seat and decided to grab it. While waiting for the plane to take off, a teenage boy sat down next to him.

Mustang noticed that the two looked almost like they could be twins. The guy had a black jacket with green a green hexagon pattern in spots along with matching pants and a flame pin. He had brown hair that was the exact same length and style as Mustang's hair.

"Hey I'm Mustang. It's a pleasure." said Mustang holding out a hand for the teenager to shake.

"Name's Ace. You going to the Hanu Region, too?" Ace asked shaking Mustang's hand.

"Totally. I'm going for Pokétopia's Colosseum Challenges because things aren't working out for me here. And what are you going for?" Mustang was getting interested in Ace to see what his answer would be.

"Really? Because that's the same deal with me! I want to become a Pokétopia Master Class Battler." Ace stated with excitement and pride.

"Wow. You must be pretty good at battling if you set your goals that high! I am not that good so I'm just going to see how far I can get..." said Mustang. His head dropped a little in disappointment in himself.

Ace felt bad for Mustang and said "I bet you'll do fine. You just need a little practice, that's all."

Mustang lifted his head and smiled at his new friend. "You know? You're right. I'm going to try super hard and then we can have a battle and even become rivals!"

"Ha ha ha! You're totally right! But don't think I'm going to go easy on you!" Ace said feeling a bit nostalgic. Then the voice of the captain came from the speakers in the chairs.

"Hello everyone and thank you for picking Pokétopia airlines today! We will be arriving at Pokétopia at approximately 1:35 PM. The temperature of Pokétopia is currently 79℉ and the weather is clear sky. But we cannot guarantee it will stay like that because of the battles taking on and a pokémon may use Sunny Day or Rain Dance. So be aware of that. We will now be taking off."

"Awesome! I can't wait!" Ace and Mustang exclaimed in unison. They both laughed at how alike they were.

Neither of them knew how much of a friendship they would have in the future...

* * *

Well I hoped you liked the first chapter! The second chapter is already in progress or done. Please review!! And flames are not wanted, but I can deal with them.


	2. 2: Registration

Last Chapter:

Mustang Ranger leaves Sinnoh and heads to the Hanu Region. More specifically, he heads to Pokétopia. On the airship there, he meets a boy named Ace.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

Chapter 2: Registration

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

* * *

Mustang awoke with a jolt as the plane hit the ground upon the landing. Mustang looked over at Ace who was asleep still. Mustang put his hand on Ace's shoulder and shook him lightly. His eyes slowly opened as he sleepily groaned.

"What? Why'd you wake me?" Ace asked groggily.

Mustang smiled and chuckled. "We're here. We're in Pokétopia."

"Really?! Well then let's go!" Ace said as his face lit up and he was completely awake now.

The two friends got up and walked to the luggage pickup and waited for their bags to come to them.

"Hey there's mine!" said Ace, pointing to a blue and white suitcase and went to go retrieve it.

"And there's mine!" Mustang said and followed Ace.

When the two had grabbed their luggage, they started walking to the registration area. It was only a block away from the airport.

When the two got to the building, there were trainers in a line outside the door. Luckily the registration desk was in the lobby.

While Ace and Mustang were waiting in line, Mustang decided to ask Ace a few questions about Pokétopia.

"So what are 'battle passes' exactly? You seem like you know a lot about Pokétopia and the way things work around here so I might as well ask." Mustang explained.

Ace gave a smile and said "Ha ha yeah, I guess I know some stuff about the system here. Well you had a team back in Sinnoh, right?"

"Well, yeah. Who didn't?" said Mustang.

"Well a Battle Pass is just like a Trainer Card. It tells the pokémon in your team, your name, and a picture of you. It's a form of ID to show who you are and it organizes your team." explained Ace.

"Whoa really? That's so cool! I am even more pumped now than I was before!" exclaimed Mustang.

By the time the two had finished talking, they had reached the front of the line. There was a nice woman in a sky blue Pokétopia uniform. She had long, blonde hair and a headset. A Pikachu plushie was also on the desk.

"Hello my name is Helen! Who's going first?" asked Helen.

"Um I guess I'll go first." Ace said nervously.

"No need to be nervous. First, pick your Battle Pass Design." she said smoothly waving her hand over a table with different boxes. Each was filled with a different Battle Pass Design.

"I think I'm going to go with that one there." Ace pointed towards a box with battle passes with blue waves on them.

"Okay, no problem. What is your name, young man?" Helen said with a smile.

"Ace." he stated boldly.

"Well, Ace, there you go. Here's your apartment key, too. There are PC's down the hall with which you can choose the pokémon you own and want to be in your team. You can wait for your friend here, if you want, though. It'll only take a minute." explained Helen as she handed Ace a card key with the room number of 14.

"Whoa! We get apartments, too?! This place is awesome! I think I'll wait for Mustang though." Ace said while still looking at his Battle Pass.

"So Mustang, is it? Well what pass would you like?" Helen said making the same motion with her hand as she did with Ace.

"Um I like that white one. The one with the cool Pokéball design on it?" Mustang pointed to the very end box.

"You will do well here, Mustang. You already have luck on your side. You see, this is the last of that design we have in stock." Helen said handing him the pass and a room key.

"Well come on, Stang! We gotta go register our pokémon!" Ace said excitedly while jumping up and down.

"Ha ha ha ha okay let's go." said Mustang calmly while taking the two cards from Helen.

While they were walking down the hall, neither of the boys noticed two teenage girls looking at them excitedly and giggling amongst themselves.

" So what room number are you, Mustang?" said Ace while still walking towards the PC's.

"Oh yeah I forgot to check that! Um... Let's see... Room number fourteen. And you?" Mustang said while still reading the information on the key.

"Yes!!! We're rooming together! This just gets better and better! Oh look! There's the PC's!" Ace said while breaking off into a run.

'Wow he must be pretty excited for this. I have to say, he's quite an energetic one. I admire him for being so bold as to come here and be so excited to try new things... This'll be one crazy ride. Ah well. Gotta go register.' Mustang thought to himself.

"Hm... Who should I choose..." said Ace questioning himself.

"I already know who I'm going to pick. But I can't tell you cause we're rivals!" said Mustang while laughing.

Mustang had already been planning on who he was going to put into the team as he had thought about it during the wait in the line. Ace, on the other hand, was having trouble.

Mustang picked Scizoro, a Scyther who didn't want to evolve. Empress, a female Empoleon his mom had given him as a Piplup when he was 13. Inferni, his starter pokémon who is now an Infernape. Azeli, an Azelf who had visited him ever since he was 4 years old since he lived near Lake Valor. Palkia, Mustang did save the Sinnoh Region. And his Giratina.

"Well I'm done!" said Mustang cheerfully as he stood up.

"What?! I only have three so far! That's it. I know who I'm using now." Ace said angrily. He was pretty frustrated.

Once Ace finished, the two left the building and ran all the way to their apartment. It was 5 blocks away and they stopped to get some lunch, too.

"Let's see... Ah! Here it is. Room 14." Mustang said sliding the key through the slot and opening the door.

"Whoa! This is a nice apartment!" exclaimed Ace as he ran in and taking in the new environment.

Mustang stepped in, carrying both his and Ace's suitcase. The room had a kitchen, bathroom, living room, balcony, and two separate rooms. The carpet was a deep red and the tile in the kitchen was black.

The kitchen had an island for two to eat at. There were many drawers and cabinets. There was a stove, oven, and microwave all combined. Next to the oven was the sink. And there was also a fridge! But next to the fridge was a pantry. All of the wood was painted the same color of the carpet while everything else in the kitchen was black.

Mustang walked over and opened the fridge. "Ace! We have a fully stalked fridge! And the cabinets and drawers and pantry are fully stalked, too!!" said Mustang very excitedly.

"No way! I don't believe you! Lemme see!" Ace yelled as he ran to the kitchen. He was amazed when he saw Mustang wasn't lying. "This is incredible! I love this! And all of this is paid for! All we have to do is battle! I'm pretty sure this isn't an apartment... I think it's a flippin' house."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha! You're right!" Mustang said happily as they went to go explore the rest of the 'apartment'.

The living room had a white couch for four, a white love seat, and a black chair. They were all facing towards the giant flat screen TV which was in the wall. The walls were painted a black, too.

Mustang ran out to the balcony. It had four chairs and a small table. The view was GREAT, though! It viewed the Lagoon Colosseum and the fresh sea air felt wonderful and refreshing to Mustang!

The bathroom was very nice, too. It had one black toilet, a red shower, and a white bathtub. The sink was also white. It was a very big bathroom considering it was an apartment.

Ace walked into his room and it was all white. There was a queen size bed, another love seat, a walk-in closet, a dresser, and a nightstand. The walls were red and the carpet was black.

Mustang's room was the exact same except it had windows and everything was red. Except the walls were white and the carpet was black.

"This will be one heck of an adventure..." said Mustang in awe as he walked into Ace's room.

"Indeed, it will. But it will be the best, too." agreed Ace. The two friends smiled and left the apartment after unpacking.

* * *

Wow that was long for it being only my second chapter! Sorry if I didn't explain everything very well. That is one HECK of an apartment, though... And don't worry. They'll end up paying a giant rent for it. ^_^ Well you know the drill. Please R&R! Bye!


	3. 3: First Night

Wow... This chapter is really fails... Oh well. You can skip it if you want to.

* * *

Last Chapter:

Mustang and his new friend, Ace, register themselves into the Pokétopia's registry and head to their apartment.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

Chapter 3: First Night

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

* * *

It was around 6:45 PM and two new best friends are walking down a busy street with plenty of neon signs and shops.

"Wow. That apartment is crazy. What do ya say we get some dinner?" suggested Ace.

"Yeah that sounds good. Well you're the expert between the two of us on Pokétopia. What are some good restaurants that are cheap?" asked Mustang.

"Thanks. Um I'm not sure. Oh wait! I heard of one that's pretty close to this spot! It's called The Liberty Lapras. It has seafood there. But I understand if you don't eat pokémon." said Ace.

"Oh I eat pokémon (**A.N.: Wow I feel like I'm a murderer writing this. But come on. What else are they supposed to eat? Poffins and berries will only get ya so far in life so just please bear with me on this. Who knows? It could be some humor)**. I don't feel good about it, but it has to happen in order for me to survive." Mustang said with a saddened look on his face.

"Ehh I know how ya feel. It's okay. But let's go. We need to eat." And with that, they headed off to the restaurant.

As the two arrived, there were so few tables left, it took them 5 minutes to get in. And that was for two people, too!

As they sat down, they looked over the menu and made their choices. The waiter came over and started taking orders.

"Hello my name is Spade and I'll be your server and waiter this evening. What would you two like to drink and eat tonight?" Spade took out a notepad and pen.

Ace was the first to order. "Um I'll just have water to drink and may I have the Smoked Magikarp?"

"That will not be a problem, sir. We will bring that out as fast as possible." Spade said while taking note of what Ace and Mustang were ordering.

"I'm going to have water, also. And I think I'll order the Kingler Crab." said Mustang, a little unsure of himself.

"Ahh nice choice. That will taste very nice, indeed." Spade said and walked off.

"... Wow this is going to be interesting eating in Pokétopia every night... We'll have to get creative with what we eat..." Mustang said as soon as Spade was out of hearing range.

"Ha ha ha ha ha true that. But it'll be fun, I think." Ace said looking over at another table.

"What are you looking at?" said Mustang looking in the same direction but couldn't quite see what his partner was looking at...

"Those girls over there. At that table. Are... They staring? At us? Why the heck are they looking at us like that?" Ace said sounding very confused.

"Ha ha ha ha those two? They've been following us around all day. I'm surprised you haven't noticed. I'm pretty sure they think we're cute considering how they're giggling and blushing a lot." explained Mustang.

"Really? Well why don't we go over to them after dinner and see what they're doing?" Ace asked.

"Well we can if you want. It doesn't matter to me. Besides, I think they're pretty cute. But let's eat!" because Spade had just returned with the Smoked Magikarp and the Kingler Crab.

"Notify me if there's anything you two need." said Spade and with that, he walked off.

¤₪30 minutes later₪¤

"Well that was surprisingly very good! I'm glad we came here." said Mustang.

"Yeah it was. But let's go outside and hang around until those girls come out once they're done eating! Then we can talk to them!" exclaimed Ace.

"Wow. You really need to learn how to not be creepy when it comes to girls..." said Mustang pitifully.

"Well you don't have any better idea, do you?" asked Ace.

"... Good point." laughed Mustang.

"Besides, if they've been stalking us all day, then how is this creepy compared to them?" Ace inquired.

"... Yet again, another good point." They both laughed this time.

The two friends paid the bill, left the restaurant and walked a few yards away from the entrance of The Liberty Lapras. And sure enough, five minutes later, the two girls came bursting out the door.

"Um never mind! These two are WAY creepy!! RUN!!" yelled a panicked Ace.

"I COULDN'T AGREE MORE!" Mustang yelled back already a block ahead of him.

"Hey! Wait up!!" Ace shouted back still running.

"Run after them!! I want the one in the red pants!" yelled one of the girls.

"Well I want the one in the black and green clothes!" yelled the other.

¤₪10 blocks later₪¤

"Whew... I think... We lost... Them..." was all Ace could say through his panting.

"You need... To get... Into shape...!" panted Mustang.

"Oh shut up... You're panting just as much... At least we're at our apartment, now..." said Ace.

"Hurry and get in. I don't want those girls to know where we live." said Mustang in a worried tone.

"I coudn't agree more." and with that, they both went inside and closed the door behind them. They made a special note to lock the door, too.

* * *

Wow this chapter failed. But it was just to waste the rest of the night for them. Things will start to get better tomorrow. Please review. Night.


	4. 4: Heading to Main Street

Wow really? Only 949 words? It seemed like more... Oh well. Enjoy!

* * *

Last Chapter:

**Sucked.** That's all there is to it. You want the actual summary? Fine... The boys just go to a restaurant for their first night in Pokétopia and get chased by two creepy girls. Was that worth it? No, I didn't think so...

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

Chapter 4: Heading to Main Street

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

* * *

After their trauma from last night, Ace and Mustang decided it would be best to always stick together and make sure the other wasn't attacked by the girls again.

"Hey! Wake up! We have to go to the Main Street Colosseum today!" yelled Ace as he walked in Mustang's room.

Ace was dressed in the same clothes as yesterday.

"I'm up now... Hey. Weren't you wearing the same clothes yesterday?" asked Mustang groggily.

"Heh heh. Well I have lots of the same outfit. Technically, I'm not wearing what I wore yesterday." explained Ace.

"What ever. I gotta take a shower and get dressed... Just wait like ten minutes." said Mustang as he got out of bed and headed in the direction of the bathroom.

¤₪10 minutes later₪¤

Mustang was now fully dressed and dry. He wore the same thing he wore yesterday but it was washed now.

"Ah. That's more like it. Well let's go now." said Mustang as he put his hat on and turning to Ace.

"I agree. Got your pokémon and Battle Pass?" Ace said as he held up his Battle Pass and his belt which had all his pokéballs attached to it.

"Yep." said Mustang doing the same thing as Ace.

"Let's go then. I can't wait! Our first colosseum in Pokétopia!" Ace said feeling a bit nostalgic.

"Let's start heading down there. Should we fly there using our Pokémon or walk?" asked Mustang.

"Um... Let's fly." Ace said after making up his mind.

"Okay. Let's go on the balcony then." told Mustang.

They both walked out to the balcony and released the pokémon they were going to fly with from their pokéballs. Mustang didn't have Raptos with him anymore since he could only take six pokemon with him.

"Go Scizoro!" shouted Mustang as a beam of red light shot out of the Great Ball and landed on the railing of the balcony. A healthy and strong looking Scyther emerged from the light.

"Whoa! You have a pretty good Scyther there!" said Ace in awe.

"You bet. Now who are you going to pick?" asked Mustang as he climbed onto Scizoro's back.

"You'll see. Go! Flygon!" said Ace as he held a Pokéball above his head. The red light shot out of the red and white ball. The light danced through the air and landed on the railing. A very swift looking green dragon appeared in the light.

"Fly! Flygon!" said the Flygon.

"Well I guess we're all set to go." said Ace as he climbed onto the back of the Flygon.

And with that, both Scizoro and Flygon took off with the very excited trainers on their backs.

"How do we know where Main Street is?" yelled Mustang from the Scyther's back.

"It should have some giant pokéfloats!" Ace shouted back.

"Well I see it, then! Right down there!" exclaimed Mustang pointing towards a large circle in the middle of an intersection. "That must be the Colosseum!"

"Let's go down and find the registration booth!" yelled Ace.

The two green pokémon descended from their current altitude towards the direction of Main Street.

Once down on the ground, Ace excitedly ran over to the colorful, red and white booth.

"Hello boys!" said a familiar voice.

"Wait! Helen? You are the registration booth manager?" Mustang asked with curiosity.

"Yep! I'll be registering at every Colosseum! But you two should know that if you each beat the Colosseum Leader, then you'll get your own personal manager to do sign you up for Colosseums instead of making you go through the trouble." explained Helen while Mustang and Ace filled out their forms on the screens in front of them.

"Whoa! That's awesome! I am going to be sure to pass this Colosseum, now!" Ace said excitedly.

Suddenly a voice rang over the intersection. "Would challenger, Mustang Ranger, please come to Gate 4? Your round begins in 20 minutes!"

"Well I guess I'm first. Good luck, Ace." said Mustang as the two friends shook hands.

"You too, Stang. I'll be up in the stands cheering you on." Ace said. They both were wearing confident smiles on their face.

"Ha ha ha thanks, bud. I better go now." Mustang said as he ran off in the direction of Gate 4.

* * *

Well there's the fourth chapter! Hope you enjoyed! I'm working on the fifth chapter now. Please R&R! I don't have any reviews yet but I have 10 hits as of when I last checked! So pleassssse review!! I really need feedback! Thanks for at least reading though. =)


	5. 5: First Six Battles

Hey guys. Thanks for continuing to read this story. But please review it and tell me how I'm doing. Well I'm going to let you go now and read the fifth chapter.

Last Chapter:

The boys head to Main Street Colosseum and register Mustang for the colosseum.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

Chapter 5: First Six Battles

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

* * *

¤₪5 minutes later₪¤

"Are you Mustang Ranger?" asked a man in a nice business suit and shades.

"Sure am, sir." Mustang said while shaking the mysterious man's hand.

"I'm Ty. I'll be your personal manager if you win this thing. I can already tell you're going to go far in Pokétopia." said Ty, taking off his glasses. He looked to be around 25 years old. Ty also had seemingly large muscles judging by the size of his arms (**A.N.: If you own the game, look at Muscle Man A and imagine him the way I'm describing him to imagine Ty)**.

Ty had navy blue hair in a faux hawk. His eyes were as blue as the Hanu oceans. Ty also had a black business suit on, making him look very studious.

"Well kid, do good out there." Ty said with a smile.

"Thanks, Ty! I'll do my best!" said Mustang as he ran inside the door.

Once inside, there was a large, environmental area with a pond, trees, desert area, and a meadow. There were trainers with their pokémon out and giving them a pep talk. At the very end of the room there was a blue elevator entrance which had a visible blue tube which served as the elevator shaft.

"Whoa... This place is incredible!" said Mustang in disbelief.

"Hey kid. You Mustang?" said a young woman about the same age as Mustang walking over to him. She had a white tank top on and blue jeans. There was a brown newsboy hat atop her head and her long purple hair flowed out magnificently.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" asked Mustang, raising an eyebrow.

"I just assumed since your name was called out a few minutes ago and you're the only one to walk in ever since. I'm Abigail." Abigail said with a smile.

"Oh, well that makes sense, then. Have you already cleared this Colosseum?" said Mustang.

"Just finished. It wasn't that hard. Telling by your attitude, you should have no problem with it." she said cooly.

"Oh, sorry. Am I being a bit too confident?" asked Mustang in a worried tone.

Abigail laughed. "Oh no, you're fine. To be honest, I like your confidence."

"Oh. Well thanks!" Mustang said with a grin.

"Don't mention it. I'll be watching you! Look for me afterwards!" Abigail said running off with a giggle.

Mustang whistled to himself. "There goes an incredible girl... I've just gotta win this, now!" he said, snapping out of his trance.

Just as he did, the megaphone rang out over the large room. "Mustang Ranger, you have five minutes to prepare for your battle. Please report to the elevator to receive information about your opponent."

"Awesome!" Mustang exclaimed to himself as he ran towards the blue shaft.

"Hey kid, hurry up! Here's their pass!" Ty told Mustang handing him a deep red pass.

"So her name's Marie, huh? No problem. She's into hiking, it says, too. So that means she'll probably be using Rock and Ground-type pokémon." said Mustang inspecting the pass.

"Yep. She's got a Graveler, Vibrava, Chatot, Spinda, Wigglytuff, and a Butterfree. I think I'll use Empress with Inferni along with my back up pokémon being Azeli and Palkia. This should be quite easy." Mustang said with a very happy face.

"Well you better go. I'll take Giratina and Scizoro from you." said Ty holding out his hands for the pass and pokéballs.

"Yeah, no problem." Mustang said while handing over the two pokémon and the trainer's pass.

"You can now go in the elevator. It'll take you to the Colosseum. I will see you after the match and good luck." said Ty calmly.

"Thanks, Ty." Mustang said, looking up the shaft as the elevator gained speed.

As the elevator neared the top, Mustang could hear a roaring crowd. The teenage boy also could hear the voice of the narrator of the battles.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen of all ages! My name is Spade Trenal and welcome to the Main Street Colosseum! We have quite the match about to take place! A little girl into hiking versus the newcomer from the Sinnoh Region! Marie Blackstone from the red corner, and from the blue corner, Mustang Ranger! There's Mustang, now! Stepping out of the blue elevator!"

The crowd roared even louder once they saw Mustang.

"Whoa, this is going to be pretty intense... But I have to win this!" Mustang said biting his lip.

"Hey! Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Pokétopia!" said a little girl with black hair that dropped to her shoulders. The girl also had a pink dress on.

"You must be Marie. Well sorry, but I can't let you win. I hope you understand." replied Mustang, adjusting his hat.

Marie chuckled. "You may hope for that outcome, but it isn't guaranteed. But that's enough talk! Let's battle!"

The two trainers tossed both of their pokéballs simultaneously.

"And the battle begins!" Spade said.

A large, armored, penguin of a navy blue color emerged from the first pokéball while a very powerful, swift looking monkey with a flaming head appeared from the right.

"Empol! Infern!" the two pokémon said in unison.

Marie smirked and watched her Graveler and Vibrava come from her side.

"Mustang sent out an Empoleon and Infernape to combat against Graveler and Vibrava! Mustang should have a problem seeing as Marie's pokémon are both Ground-types." the narrator's voice boomed overhead.

Mustang smirked and chuckled to himself. "If that's what he thinks, then he'll have a different reaction when we get this thing started..." he muttered.

In the Challenger Support stands, Abigail and Ace were cheering for Mustang.

"He's got something up his sleeve, I can feel it..." Ace said.

Two rows above Ace, Abigail was thinking the same thing.

Back on the battlefield, Mustang started off the battle.

"Inferni! Use Close Combat on that Graveler! Empress! Use Blizzard!" Mustang yelled to his companions as they waited for a command.

"Mustang makes the first move! His pokémon are pretty fast!" exclaimed Spade.

Inferni took off toward the Graveler with clenched fists. About 2 yards away, the pokémon leapt at the giant rock and punched repeatedly.

"Beaten down by Close Combat! Graveler couldn't take it! It's down!" yelled Spade through the intercom.

"Graveler! Return!" yelled Marie in a worried tone, holding up the pokéball.

A red beam shot out at the fainted pokémon and enveloped it with the light. Then the light returned back to the capsule.

"Em, Empoolllll!!" yelled Empress as she raised her shield-like flippers as a chilling blizzard came from behind the pokémon.

"Vibra!" exclaimed the large dragonfly as it was swept away by the snowstorm.

"Vibrava is unable to battle! The red corner has already taken some serious damage! Can they find a way out of this predicament?" said Spade in an excited tone.

"Vibrava! Come back!" yelled Marie, now panicked. She then tossed 2 more pokéballs towards the center of the Colosseum. "Go! Butterfree! Finish the fight, Wigglytuff!"

A pink rabbit-like pokémon came from one ball and from the other, a giant, white butterfly.

"Hmph. This should be easy. Another one turned round." said Mustang with a smile. "Repeat the same moves, guys! Close Combat on Wigglytuff and finish it with Blizzard!"

"Well it seems I underestimated the blue corner!" apologized Spade.

Once again, the flame monkey charged at the Wigglytuff. The pokémon braced for impact as Inferni beat the pink bunny repeatedly.

"Wigg... ly..." panted the pokémon as it fell over.

"Agh! Wigglytuff! Return!" yelled the girl. "Butterfree! Use Silverwind on Inferni!"

"Butter! Free!" exclaimed the butterfly pokémon as it had a powerful wind filled with glitter come from behind it.

"Inferna!" cried Inferni as it was blown back from the wind.

"A small amount of damage. Nothing more." Mustang smirked. "Now Empoleon, use Blizzard!"

"Empoleon!" the penguin screeched as it raised it's arms again. Once again, a thick snowstorm covered the Butterfree.

"Aghh! Not again! This is unbelievable!" screamed the young girl. "Butterfree, return. You've earned a rest."

"I'm sorry I hurt your pokémon. But I had to. I hope you can forgive me." said Mustang while Inferni and Empress returned to their pokéballs.

"Oh don't worry about them. They'll be fine. Good match. But you still have a long way to go." informed Marie.

"I know. Thanks for the great battle." said Mustang while walking back into the elevator.

"Hey kid! Great match! I like your style!" exclaimed Ty as the elevator came to a stop at the bottom.

"Thanks Ty. Who's next?" asked Mustang.

"I'll let you see for yourself." said Ty as he handed Mustang another pass.

The next five battles ended fairly quickly, just like the first **(A.N.: I will most likely only do the first battle and the Colosseum Leader while skipping everything in the middle. They take too long but don't worry. You'll still get plenty of other battles)**.

"Well kid, you're done for the day. Nice work out there. Tomorrow, you face the Colosseum Leader. Rest up and be here at noon. I'll see you then." said Ty as he walked away from Mustang.

"Well it was a pretty good day. I better go out now and meet up with Abigail and Ace." Mustang said to himself.

As Mustang left the Gate 4 entrance, he realized he didn't just have Abigail and Ace waiting for him, but half of the Challenger Support stands waiting for him as well. The crowd was yelling and cheering for him. Mustang could barely take any of the paparazzi. The whole scene was deafening to him.

Luckily, Abigail and Ace were at the very front of the crowd and they rushed forward when they saw him.

"Hey! You two, get in here! I need to wait this crowd out!" yelled Mustang barely audible above the cheers and roars. Mustang grabbed the arms of the Abigail and Ace and they all rushed inside of the building, once more. As they went in, the doors closed and the sounds were drowned out.

* * *

Okay thanks for reading guys! I've spent a good three days writing this. Please review and if you know anyone that might like this story, please tell them about this. Thanks for reading, again.


	6. 6: Gaining a Friend

Hey thanks for all of the hits since I uploaded the fifth chapter of The Rise of Mustang. I loved writing that chapter and it appears it paid off. But while hits are nice, reviews are what I really need. I can't stress how important even **ONE** review would be to me. So I'm just asking **YOU** to please give me help on this and tell me what you think of the story. But hey, it's up to you. Anyways, here's the sixth chapter. It's the chapter that introduces a slight twist and the romance. Also, Ace isn't in this one quite as much. Sorry if you were looking forward to him.

* * *

Last Chapter:

Ty, Mustang's and Ace's manager, enters the story along with Abigail, a new friend of Mustang. Mustang completes his first six battles in Pokétopia in the Main Street Colosseum.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

Chapter 6: Gaining a Friend

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

* * *

"Whoo... That was crazy... Why do I have so many fans already?" Mustang puttered out through pants.

Ace was the first to speak. "Okay, I'm pretty confused... I have two things to say. First, I guess it's because you won those battles without really even lifting a finger. And secondly, who is this?" Ace motioned towards Abigail.

"I'm Abigail, a new friend of Mustang. It's a pleasure to meet you. And I agree, Ace - He did get all those fans because of the way battled." said Abigail.

"Yeah. Ace, meet Abigail. We met almost as soon as I entered this room this morning. She defeated the Colosseum Leader today. Speaking of which, can you tell me any information about them so I can prepare?" Mustang explained to Ace.

"Sorry, Ranger, but I can't do that. It's against the rules, you see. If I told you, I wouldn't be allowed to enter any more Colosseum Challenges. But don't worry. You'll get to see their Battle Pass right before the match." Abigail said with a smile.

"It's okay. I understand. Hey guys, what do you say we go get something to eat once those people leave?" suggested Mustang.

Ace was looking out the window by the door. "Well then we'd better go now. They all gave up and left."

"Awesome. I can't wait...! I'm so hungry!" said Mustang, grabbing his stomach which had just growled.

The three friends laughed and headed to the nearest restaurant.

¤₪10 minutes later₪¤

The trio had picked a restaurant called The Western Tauros. It was famous in Pokétopia for it's great Miltank and Tauros steaks (A.N.: Sorry Tauros and Miltank fans!).

Ace, Mustang, and Abigail were all seated in a booth. Ace sat across from Mustang and Abigail. The party was currently talking of why they had all come to Pokétopia.

Ace had come because he was tired of his success in the Hoenn Region. He had only stopped in Sinnoh because he was tired of living with his mother, who was one of the three judges of the contests in Hearthome City.

"So who is your mother?" asked Abigail.

"Jordan Rane." answered Ace.

"Really? She was my favorite judge before I left Sinnoh!" exclaimed Mustang.

"Ha ha ha! If you ever go back, I'll be sure to say 'hi' for me! You'll have to meet her. She loves fans and will definitely answer to you if you say you're my best friend." told Ace.

"I will most definitely do that. I still have family to visit in Sinnoh. So Abigail. Why did you come to Pokétopia?" said Mustang turning to the young woman on his right.

"Well I guess I have no choice but to tell... Just first let me warn you that I'm not proud of what I've done in the past... But I've changed." Abigail sighed and continued on with her story. "I was part of the evil syndicate Team Galactic... I wasn't a grunt, but a commander... My name was Commander Mercury. But one day Cyrus, the main boss of Team Galactic, sent me on a mission I couldn't do... I was sent to New Moon Island to capture the pokémon that lived there, Darkrai, in order to open a dark void (A.N.: I'm talking of the move 'Dark Void') leading to the Distortion World... I knew bad things would happen to this poor creature and I couldn't let that happen... So I refused. Cyrus kicked me out of Team Galactic and put a bounty on my head. I fled here, to Pokétopia, to escape from the police. But I also came to escape my past. Mustang, Ace. You must not tell anyone of my past or else I will be thrown in jail. I've turned away from what I've done completely and I am now finding a way to fight Team Galactic. I hope you trust me that what I'm saying is the truth but I understand if you don't..."

By this point, Abigail's head was hanging down and was avoiding eye contact. She suddenly felt a hand placed upon her shoulder. She raised her head and looked at the hand. Her eyes traced the arm to up it's owner. When she looked into the eyes of Mustang, she didn't she hate or anger, but forgiveness. He was smiling and when Abigail saw that, she raised head completely now. She then faced Ace. His eyes held the same feeling as the one in Mustang's eyes. She then looked lower at his face. He was smiling, as well.

Mustang then began to speak "Look, Abigail. We don't care what your past was like. We trust you and we accept you for who you are. Not who you were. You believe me, right?"

"Oh, Mustang... Of course I believe you... You two are already my best friends..." Abigail was beginning to have tears in her eyes.

Mustang then put his arms around her and squeezed her tightly. "You're one of us now. We'll make sure no harm comes to you."

"Hey Abigail? I know this might be hard to talk about right now, but what were the plans if you didn't succeed in your mission for Team Galactic?" asked Ace.

Abigail sat up from Mustang's shoulder and wiped her eyes. "Well, from what I know, they were going to make a Red Chain from the three crystals from the fairy pokémon trio. Cyrus would then create a portal using it to summon two of the legendary dragons, Dialga and Palkia, to Spear Pillar."

"Ha ha ha! I thought so!" Mustang exclaimed. Him and Ace suddenly became very giddy and started laughing.

Abigail became quite confused as to why the two boys suddenly lost their seriousness. "What's going on? Please tell me! I am so confused now!"

"Ha ha ha! Well, you see, that plan worked but it also didn't! Cyrus used that Red Chain and like you said, summoned Dialga and Palkia to Spear Pillar! But here's where it gets kind of funny! This act enraged the third legendary dragon, Giratina, who emerged from the Distortion World and dragged Cyrus and this brave hero fighting Team Galactic into the portal with it!" laughed Ace.

"I still don't get why that's funny..." Abigail said in a confused tone.

"Well he's not done!" exclaimed Mustang.

"Yep! Here's where the twist comes into play. That 'brave hero' fought Cyrus and then caught Giratina! The ghost dragon then returned with it's new master to the regular world, leaving Cyrus trapped inside the Distorion World forever!" said Ace.

Abigail was flabbergasted. "Just who was this 'brave hero' you mentioned in your tale?"

"Well that's the best part!" exclaimed Ace. "That hero is sitting right beside you!"

Abigail then swung to face Mustang. She was wide-eyed and had her jaw hanging open. "You? You're this famous hero? I can't believe it! I'm sitting with the young man that saved the entire world!"

"Whoa, hold on a second. I only saved the Sinnoh Region." Mustang explained.

"Oh no, you see, Cyrus wanted to actually destroy this world and create a perfect world!" exclaimed Abigail who was at this point tightly hugging Mustang.

"Oh! Abi! Gail!" was all that Mustang was able to say.

"What? Oh! Sorry! I'm just so excited now!" apologized Abigail. She then released the young man.

"Thanks. Hey look, here comes the waiter." Mustang said.

¤₪45 minutes later₪¤

"Wow! That was good! Thanks for paying for me, Mustang." Abigail thanked Mustang (A.N.: I don't currently feel like writing an eating scene. Sorry if you were looking forward to it).

"Oh don't worry about it. It was my pleasure." said Mustang.

"And I don't really get why you left Sinnoh if you saved the world and put an end to Team Galactic." Abigail said.

"Well, as I said before, I just couldn't defeat the Elite Four. It was pretty hard. So I just decided that I couldn't take it anymore and just left. But I can honestly say that I'm liking it here a lot more than Sinnoh." explained Abigail.

"Okay. That's understandable. What do you two say we start heading back to our apartments now?

"No problem." Ace said while looking towards the ocean as the sun disappeared below the horizon of pulsing waves.

"Let us escort you back to your building." suggested Mustang while smiling at her.

"Aww! You don't have to! I'm fine!" Abigail said.

"Oh but it would be my pleasure." explained Mustang.

Abigail blushed slightly. "Well if you put it that way, I would be honored."

"Well then let's go!" Ace said running ahead.

Abigail and Mustang looked both looked at each other then shrugged. "Hey! Wait up!" Mustang yelled after Ace.

¤₪16 blocks later₪¤

"Well here we are!" Abigail exclaimed as she rushed to the room labeled 'Room 17'.

"Hey, we should meet up tomorrow so we can cheer on Mustang!" suggested Ace.

"Ha ha! Sure! But my roommate will have to come. She has a day off tomorrow." Abigail explained.

"Okay, well let's meet at the bottom floor by the entrance of this building at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Does that work for you?" asked Mustang as Abigail walked into the room.

"Yeah, that'll be fine. Well have a nice night boys!" Abigail wished the young men.

"Thanks! You too!" said the two boys in unison.

Abigail giggled at their similarities and closed the door.

"Wow. She sure is amazing." said Mustang as him and Ace descended in the elevator.

"Eh, she's okay. I like her as a friend. Wait... You like her, don't you!" exclaimed a shocked Ace.

"Well at least I know I'm not being too obvious about it..." Mustang chuckled to himself.

"Oh whatever. Just you wait, I'll find someone for me in this darned city!" said Ace, with a pouting face.

"Oh yeah? I bet you ₫30 (A.N.: that little symbol is the currency for Pokétopia) you won't find someone by the end of this year." said Mustang with a devious smile.

"Well I got 5 months before the end of the year. So I'll take that bet!" Ace said excitedly.

Just then they reached the bottom floor of the apartment complex. The doors slid open and the two boys ran out laughing and racing each other to their room (A.N.: their two complexes are right next to each other).

Once right outside the room, the two boys found a receipt taped on the door.

"Now what could this be?" questioned Mustang as he grabbed the receipt from the door. "... What?! It says we owe ₫700 for the apartment!"

"Hmph. I'm not surprised. I knew it was too good to be true." Ace said in a calmed voice.

"Wait... Near the bottom, it says 'IF YOU WIN THE COLOSSEUM CHALLENGE TOMORROW, THE RENT FEE WILL BE DISMISSED'... So I guess I have to win this thing or else we are in a lot of trouble..." said Mustang.

"Well, you got Abigail to fight for. Buck up and win it. For Abigail." Ace responded with a smile.

"Yeah... I guess you're right! I gotta do it!" exclaimed Mustang with a fiery passion burning in his heart.

* * *

Well guys, hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading but please **_REVIEW_**. Thanks again! Night!


	7. 7: Explanation and Brunch

To all the writers on fanfiction: Don't you write because you want to know how good you are? Don't you write for reviews? Well what do you do if you don't get any reviews? I get an empty feeling saying "why continue this story if you don't even know how much it's worth". I want to continue writing but I'm not feeling up to it anymore. Having written this much without any reviews is painful. My friends won't even tell me how good it is. I need to know. I don't care if you give me constructive criticism or even flame the story. But I need to know how good it is. So please, for the story and for me, will you please write me a review. This is my final plea...

**UPDATE:_ Hey everyone. I would like to thank Arcanegears for giving me my first review which has dearly helped me. If the site had some form of currency, I would give him everything I had. Unfortunately, we don't so I will mention him (right here) and in the next chapter. So Arcanegears, I really owe you. Thanks again._**

Now onto the story, I guess...

* * *

Last Chapter:

Ace meets Abigail after Mustang completes is first six battles in Pokétopia. The three go to a restaurant and share their pasts, Abigail revealing a few secrets about herself.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

The Rise of Mustang Chapter 7: Explanation/Brunch

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

* * *

"Wake up! We slept in!" Ace yelled at Mustang who was still sleeping.

"Ungh... Five more minutes, mom..." the unconscious Mustang groggily said as he buried his head underneath his pillow.

"No! Listen!" began Ace as he took the pillow and threw it across the room. "We have to meet Abigail and her roommate in 20 minutes! Now get off your lazy butt and get ready!"

Mustang suddenly became alert upon hearing the name of the one he loved. "Well I need to get up, then! Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" he yelled now in the bathroom with the door locked and shut.

"I already...! Never mind! Just hurry up!" Ace replied.

¤₪15 minutes later₪¤

The two boys, now completely ready for the day, were now walking calmly towards the direction of the apartment complex the girls were staying at. Once Mustang and Ace were 10 yards away from the entrance of the building, two girls rushed out and emitted the classic high-pitch 'Eek!' teen girls make when they're excited when they saw the companions.

"Hey!" Abigail said running towards Mustang and Ace giving both of them a hug when she arrived. Mustang enjoyed the hug but longed for more once it was over.

"Hey yourself!" Ace said.

"Good morning! How'd you sleep?" Mustang asked with concern.

"Aww thanks for asking! I slept pretty good. Oh! I forgot to introduce you two to someone!" the brunette said as she motioned towards a girl who had only come halfway between the building and the point where the other three friends were standing. "This is my roommate, Emma. She's fifteen years old, just like the rest of us."

By this time, the Emma had finally made it to her friend. Emma had pure, blonde hair and her eyes were as two pools of blue. She wore light gray jeans that tightly hugged her slender legs. Emma also wore a thin, pale green button-up shirt with a white denim vest. A top her head was a white cowgirl hat with a casual pokéball symbol on the right side.

"It's very nice to meet you two! Abigail has talked a lot of you ever since last night," the young teen said shaking Mustang's hand followed by Ace's.

"Hey, Ace. You okay?" Mustang said waving a hand in front of his partner's face. Ace seemed to be in a daze.

"Hm? Oh, yeah! Sorry. Just a little hungry," Ace responded snapping out of his dreamy state.

"Ha ha ha, you two didn't get anything to eat?" asked Abigail.

"Well we kinda slept in... But we'll be fine," Mustang insisted.

"Oh well let's go back up to our room and let us fix you two something to eat while you tell Emma and I a bit about yourselves!" suggested Abigail.

"Yeah! That'd be fun!" Emma joined in.

"Okay, Ace. Do you want to go?" Mustang said.

"Yeah, why not. But we're totally going to pay you two back for your hospitality." said Ace as they all began walking into the building.

"Oh no, you don't have to owe us anything! We'll be glad to cook for you two! Besides, Mustang has his big battle today, remember?" Emma reminded them.

"Dang, forgot about that..." groaned Mustang.

"Aren't you excited for it, Stang?" Abigail said to the young man.

"Well I am, but I'm also pretty nervous... I mean we found a receipt on our door last night after dropping you off that said we needed to pay seven hundred battle coupons or else we'd be evicted. But at the bottom, there was a note saying that if I defeated the Colosseum Leader today, the fee would be forgiven. So it's either I win and we get to stay, or else we'll be kicked out and we can't enter any Colosseums and we'll be living on the streets!" explained a very worried Mustang as they all walked down the hall after exiting the elevator on the second floor.

"Oh, I see. Well we got one of those, too." Emma said looking over at Abigail.

"But I won so we don't have to worry about it." Abigail said as they arrived at the door labeled '17'.

As Abigail stuck the key into the door, Ace put a hand on his companion's shoulder. Mustang turned his head toward Ace (A.N.: By the way, the boy's apartment and the girl's are similar in layout except the color scheme is different. The girls' is blue, gray, and white).

"Going off of how well you did yesterday, you won't have a problem with them. And bud, if you do end up losing, just know I'll be right here to help you get through it." Ace said with a very encouraging smile.

"And us, as well." the two girls said in unison with their arms draped over the other's shoulder as they stood beside each other.

Mustang's eyes began to tear up knowing he was in good care and with great friends.

"Thanks guys... I really appreciate it." Mustang said now smiling at his friends.

"But there's something you should know..." Ace began.

"Oh? And what is that?" Mustang said worryingly as turned towards Ace.

"Well, last night, while you slept, I left to go begin _my_ Colosseum Challenge." Ace told Mustang.

"Really? Why didn't you wake me? I would've liked to come support you." Mustang said.

By this time the girls had gone into the kitchen and began cooking while the two boys walked over to the front room and sat down on the couch. Mustang sat in the chair across from the sofa which Ace was sitting upon.

"I know that. But I can take losing out on a few hours of sleep. However I knew you couldn't seeing as you had your big match today. I got back a little late but I apparently didn't get enough sleep noticing how we slept in a little this morning." Ace explained.

"Boys! What would you like for breakfast?" Abigail said from the kitchen which was still only 10 feet away from them.

"Um I'll have some Spearow eggs. Three please!" Mustang called back.

"I'll just have a waffle with some Miltank milk, please." Ace said.

"Okay continue now." Mustang asked Ace.

"Well anyways, I completed 4 of my matches and opted to do the rest tomorrow night, which is tonight. I will do them after dinner. You can come tonight, if you want. It's the Gateway Colosseum Challenge." Ace said.

"I would be glad to come tonight." Mustang told Ace. Then he continued. "So wait. When the note said we had to defeat the Colosseum, it wasn't only addressing me, but you, too?"

"From what I understand, yes. So only one of us has to defeat the Colosseum Challenge. But don't let that stop you from trying." answered Ace.

"Oh, of course it won't. I'm going to win this thing." Mustang said with fire behind his eyes. He then realized something else. "Wait! Then why didn't you stop me from going all teary earlier?!"

Ace burst out laughing. "Because I wanted to see you cry!"

Mustang smiled and playfully punched Ace in the arm. "You're terrible!"

"Maybe. But let's go eat!" Ace exclaimed as he jumped up from the couch and finished his talk with his best friend.

"Hey you two, it won't be ready for a few more minutes, but feel free to take a seat." Emma said as Abigail kept cooking.

"Thanks again for cooking for us. We feel bad to have to put you through this." Mustang apologized as him and Ace sat down in the stools next to the island in the kitchen.

"Oh don't worry about it! It's the least we could do to help you win today!" Abigail responded.

"Well I'm still going to help out." Mustang said as he got up from his stool he was sitting on and walked over to Abigail's side. "Let me take that for you. Go relax."

Mustang took put his hand over Abigail's which was holding the pan that had the eggs cooking in the middle of the metal surface.

"Oh, thank you Mustang! I guess I'm just going to help Emma on these waffles, then!" Abigail thanked Mustang as she handed him the handle. "I've certainly never met a young man quite as talented in cooking as you! I'm very impressed."

Abigail's eyes followed Mustang's hand movements as he flipped the eggs over to cook on the other side.

"Well my mom left a lot, being a maid on the S.S. Anne in the Kanto Region, so I had to basically fend for myself. That's when I taught myself to cook. Sure, I almost burned down the house a couple times, but I managed," Mustang explained.

The others all were wondering what had happened to his father. Ace got up the courage to ask finally. "What of your dad? Didn't he stay at home with you?"

"Well, he was one of the sailors on the ship with my mom. I wanted to stay in Sinnoh with all my friends. I was around thirteen when they both left for their 4 year voyage. So I stayed at my grandparents for about a year and then decided I wanted to live on my own. So I rented an apartment for about a year and a half. I then realized I probably wouldn't make it as a very good trainer in Sinnoh so I left for Pokétopia three months after my fifteenth birthday." Mustang finished his story while still cooking.

"Oh. That's pretty cool, bro. I haven't ever really lived on my own for more than a week," Ace said.

"Well I think you two are still awesome friends. I am very honored to know you both," Abigail said.

"I totally agree with that statement." said Emma.

"Thanks. But why did you come to Pokétopia, Emma?" Ace asked.

"Oh well I've actually lived here my entire life. I've just never actually been eligible to compete in the Colosseums until now. You have to be fifteen to be allowed." Emma explained.

"That's awesome! I would love to live here my entire life... It's amazing here." Mustang said as he grabbed a plate on his left and dropped the eggs onto the dipped surface. "Hey, where are your silverware?"

"Oh they should be in the top drawer on your right. And what would you like to drink?" Abigail said opening the fridge.

"Thanks. Um... I guess I'll have some Oran Berry juice." Mustang decided as he sat down with his eggs.

Abigail poured the blue substance into a glass and handed the drink to Mustang.

"Thank you, Abby. You are too kind." complimented Mustang.

"Oh, I should be the one thanking you! I would have had nothing to do today if it weren't for you offering to have us come as guests to your match today." said Abigail while helping to finish pour the homemade waffle batter into the waffle burner.

"Well your waffles should be done in about five minutes, Ace. Speaking of time, what time is it?" Emma asked.

Ace looked at his Pokétch. "Thanks, Emma. And it's 11:15. So I guess this is a brunch."

"So we've only got 45 minutes to be at the Colosseum. I think we can make it if we fly using our pokémon." Abigail said.

"Well then let's go as soon as Ace is done with his waffles. I'm just finishing my eggs. Thanks again for cooking for us, girls." said Mustang, walking over to the sink and began washing his dishes.

"It's our pleasure. Oh, you don't have to clean them, too! Oh, and your waffles are now ready with your Miltank milk, Ace." Emma exclaimed, now seeing what her new friend was doing.

"Oh but I must repay you for having us here and giving us food." Mustang said as he finished drying off the cup. "Besides, see? I'm done already."

Abigail giggled at Mustang. "You are such a gentlemen! No one near where I live is as kind as you boys."

"Thanks. And you two are quite kind, yourself." Ace said as Emma walked over to him with a plate of waffles and a glass of Miltank milk. "Mmm! Emma, this smells delicious! Thank you, girls!"

The two teenage girls laughed at his enthusiasm. "Well it's no problem!" Emma said.

"It tastes better than my mom's homemade waffles!" Ace exclaimed, taking a large bite into the waffle with Sudowoodo syrup drizzled on it.

"Ha ha! You two are great cooks, Abigail and Emma. Noticing by the way he's shoving all this into his mouth, he's very pleased." Mustang said.

While still eating, Ace playfully punched his teammate in the arm. The girls laughed at this. "Well we are very honored to have you enjoying our food." Abigail said.

Once Ace was done with his waffles, the three noticed the clock said 11:50 A.M.

"Oh shoot! We better go! Hurry, onto the balcony!" Emma said running off to the end of the hallway. The other three followed and they all spread out onto the balcony.

"Actually, we're not going to fly." Abigail said with an Ultra ball in her hand. "We're going to Teleport. It's the only way to get there fast enough."

"Good thinking!" Mustang exclaimed.

"Come on out, Alakazam!" Abigail said. The Psi Pokémon shot out of the ball and said it's name to Abigail. "Hey, Alakazam. We need you to Teleport to Gate 4 at the Main Street Colosseum. Can you do that?"

"Kazam!" the pokémon said with confirmation.

"Emma, grab onto Alakazam's other arm. Ace grab onto her arm. And Mustang, grab onto my arm.

All three said something along the lines of "No problem."

Once all four trainers were in position, a purple light surrounded the group. Then it suddenly disappeared with a small breeze once they were gone.

* * *

Okay I hope you liked it! Please review! I know it's not the best chapter, but it's part of the plot. Thanks for reading! Bye!


	8. 8: Colosseum Leader Taylor

Hey everyone! I am back and if you haven't noticed, I'm very happy! If you don't know why, I've received my first review. This review was from Arcanegears and I would like to say he has given me enough inspiration and encouragement by me just reading his review to continue this story. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't write me a review anyways. I would like to get more reviews to get a wider look on how the story is. But I appreciate what Arcanegears has done and I encourage you to follow his example. Thanks again, bud.

I have offered Arcanegears to appear in the fanfic sometime in the near future. I do not know if he will accept, but I am now going to offer everyone the same opportunity if they write me a review. However, this offer will not be given if the review just says something along the lines of "I wrote this so I can be in the story" or something else close to it. You know what I mean so I want an honest review if I am to give you that offer. Just something to think about.

Well I am now going to get on with this chapter. Please hit the "Review this Story" button once you are done reading! Thanks!

* * *

Last Chapter:

Emma, a new character, Abigail's roommate, joins the party. The girls cook for the boys in their apartment and get to know each other.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

The Rise of Mustang Chapter 8: Colosseum Leader Taylor

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

A purple ball of light appeared in midair about four yards away from the entrance of Gate 4. The ball grew larger until it suddenly shrunk very swiftly leaving five figures in it's place; an Alakazam, two young girls, and two teenage boys.

While the other three were still in awe from what had just happened, Abigail raised her arm with an Ultra Ball pointed towards the pokémon. "Alakazam, return." she said. "You've really helped us out."

"Wow, that Alakazam was very strong! I could tell just by looking at it!" Ace exclaimed.

"Oh, thanks, Ace! I've had it since it was a little Abra. He teleported into my room one day when I was just a little girl." Abigail explained.

Emma looked at the Pokétch on her wrist. "Well let's go. It's 11:55. The match starts in 15 minutes. Hey, we'll meet you at the entrance of the Challenger Support seats entrance, Abigail. Come on, Ace." she said as she grabbed Ace by the arm and dragged him along the way.

"Hey! Lemme go!" Ace complained as he fought against her grip but it was no use; her grip was strong and firm.

"Ha ha that boy makes me laugh." Mustang chuckled while watching his friend being taken away.

Abigail kept looking up at Mustang's eyes, who was about a head taller than herself. "Yeah... Hey Mustang?"

"Hm?" Mustang said with a tender look in his eyes as he turned his attention towards the young woman in front of him.

Abigail could feel her heart start to rush faster as Mustang looked at her with those sweet eyes. "I... Good luck out there. I'll see you after the match."

The girl smiled while closing the few feet between her and Mustang. She leaned in and, ever so gently, kissed young man's cheek. Abigail then hugged him tightly as they both could feel themselves blushing. After about two seconds of this, they released and the two parted with Abigail running off around the corner of the building and Mustang calmly walking towards the doors with the yellow paint above them that read "GATE 4".

All sorts of thoughts were racing through Mustang's head at the moment as he walked through the heavy, metal sliding doors of Gate 4. 'Did she really just kiss me? Surely now she must feel the same feelings for me as I do for her...'

"Hey! Kid!"

Mustang suddenly snapped out of his trance when he heard Ty's voice. He then ran over to where the man in the tux was standing.

"You feeling okay? You're as pale as a the clouds, today!" Ty said with a worried look on his face.

"Y-yeah... Just a little confused about something that just happened just now. Sorry." Mustang stuttered out the sentence.

"Hm. Well okay. Do you want some water real fast before I give you the Battle Pass?" suggested Ty while holding out a water bottle to the young man.

Mustang took the drink and emptied over half of the water into his mouth. He then took the rest and threw it into his face. "Thanks... I needed that." he said, his face now dripping.

Ty was a bit shocked from what Mustang had just done. "Um don't mention it... Oh, don't worry about this whole match. You can win this thing! Just have fun out there. Here's the Colosseum Leader's pass."

Ty handed a white Battle Pass to Mustang. The boy studied the piece of plastic for two minutes and then handed it back to Ty.

"So, Colosseum Leader Taylor... She uses mostly electric types; Pachirisu, Luxio, Luvdisc, Jigglypuff, Kirlia, and a Bonsly. Well this should be fun." Mustang sighed and walked into the blue elevator, once again. "See you after the battle, Ty."

"Good luck... He'll need it." Ty said to himself.

In the stands, the three friends made it to their seats. Emma sat in the middle.

"So? How'd it go?" Emma asked Abigail without Ace hearing, who was to busy looking towards the top of the blue elevator to wait for Mustang.

Abigail had a puzzled look on her face but her expression suddenly changed once she realized what her friend was talking about. "Oh, it went okay... Hopefully I'll find out later in the day if he feels the same way about me..." Abigail said with a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry about it, girly. I've seen the way he looks at you." Emma smiled. Her friend's face suddenly lit up with hope.

"I hope you're right..." groaned Abigail.

Suddenly Ace yelled out. " Hey! Look! There he is! There's Mustang!"

"Whew... There are even more fans than yesterday..." Mustang said to himself as he walked towards his position of the Colosseum.

A young girl in a white skirt and Pachirisu ears along with a matching Pachirisu tail walked towards him from the red corner. She called out. "Hey! You have beaten all other trainers that belong to this Colosseum! Now I, Leader Taylor, accept your challenge! I'm going all out on you!"

Mustang couldn't help but smile. 'I hope I can beat her...' he thought as he grabbed two pokéballs from his belt. "Go, Giratina and Palkia!" Mustang yelled as he threw the balls towards the center of the battlefield. The two legendary dragons stood emerged proudly and both called their names out proudly to the already intense atmosphere.

The crowd roared in excitement at the gigantic legendary pokémon.

Ace looked over at Abigail, who was in awe. The boy tapped her shoulder, breaking her stare. Ace had an excited grin upon his face. "Told you he's the hero of Sinnoh!" he exclaimed in zeal. Abigail loved the young man she had kissed earlier that morning even more at this moment knowing he really was a hero.

The Pachirisu costumed girl felt intimidated inside at the two pokémon that stood in front of her. But she couldn't let that show!

"Go, Luvdisc! Come on out, Luxio!" Taylor shouted and tossed two pokéballs and the red half of the Main Street Colosseum. A pink heart and a black electric cat came out of the balls. Both cried their names when the pokémon saw the very large spacial dragon along with the ghost dragon that stood before them.

Mustang smirked knowing he had his opponents fearing him.

The young girl was the first to make a move. "Luxio! Use Bite on Giratina!" Luxio shouted his name and started running at full speed with it's jaw opened wide at Giratina.

"Giratina! Dodge it and use Earth Power on Luxio!" Mustang called to the gray and black dragon. Giratina started moving away but Luxio was too fast. The black cat bit down hard on Giratina's foot. The dragon cried out in pain. Luxio released and ran back to it's position.

"It's super-effective!" Spade shouted from high atop the stands using a microphone and speakers.

Giratina had not forgotten it's command and let loose a powerful shock from the ground that put some cracks into it and knocked over Luxio.

Spade analyzed the situation and made his call. "It's super-effective! Luxio has no will left to battle!"

"Come back Luxio, you did great." The young Colosseum Leader said, calling the cat back to it's pokéball.

Mustang used Palkia's speed to his advantage. "Palkia! Use Thunder on Luvdisc!" Palkia focused on Luvdisc and let loose a cry as it summoned the powerful electric attack.

Luvdisc didn't have any time to react and suddenly felt electricity running through it's little body.

"It's super-effective! Luvdisc doesn't have anymore HP! It's down!" exclaimed Spade as the little water-type fell to the ground.

"Ahh! Luvdisc, return!" cried out Taylor as she watched her pokémon faint. The pink heart disappeared into a red beam of light and was sucked back into it's pokéball.

Spade's voice rung out to the air. "The challenger has quite an advantage, now! How can the Leader get through this crisis?"

Taylor shuddered at his words but tossed her remaining two pokéballs to the Colosseum floor. A green haired pokémon and a Pachirisu came from the balls and cried their names in unison.

'I might as well mix it up.' thought Mustang as he called back his current two pokémon on the field.

"Oh? What's this? Mustang has decided to change out his pokèmon!" exclaimed a confused Spade.

Back in the stands, Ace smirked. Abigail saw this and knew that Mustang must be up to something. "Hey Ace! Why did he change out his pokémon?" Abigail decided to ask Ace.

"He's doing to give the crowd something to cheer about. You'll see." he explained.

Back on the battlegrounds, Taylor was just as confused as Abigail. "What could you be up to..." she asked under her breath.

"Go, Scizoro and Inferni!" Mustang yelled out with excitement while throwing his two pokéballs in unison. The very powerful fire monkey along with the large mantis emerged from their capsules with a roar.

"Oh, this can't be good for Taylor..." Emma said knowing what Mustang was now up to.

"Indeed. She is about to lose this battle. Inferni and Scizoro are his fastest pokémon." analyzed Ace.

Emma then beamed at Ace for being so smart. Ace looked over at Emma, now noticing she was smiling at him. Ace blushed a bit at this action.

Spade snapped the two out of their little world with his narration. "Let's see how this turns out!" he exclaimed.

"Inferni! Use Dig on Pachirisu! Scizoro! Use X-Scissor on Kirlia!" Mustang called. The two pokémon nodded and started their assault.

Inferni burrowed underground and Scizoro flew into the air at about 4 feet and landed right in front of Kirlia. The green haired pokémon was frozen in place due to it's fear. Scizoro raised both of it's scythes and swung them down together in unison while they crossed each other's paths. The blow blew Kirlia back a few feet and the pokémon fainted.

"Nice work, Scizoro!" Mustang said to the Scyther.

"Come back, Kirlia! You deserve a long rest!" Taylor called back Kirlia to it's pokéball.

"Well now this is interesting! The red corner has only one pokémon remaining while the challenger has barely even taken any damage!" Spade exclaimed through the speakers.

'This isn't over yet, Mustang...' Taylor thought. She then yelled to the white and blue squirrel. "Pachirisu, it's up to you! Do as much damage as possible! Use Thunder on Scizoro!"

Pachirisu then jumped into the air and spread it's arms out. A powerful bolt of electricity struck Scizoro, bringing the pokémon to fall over.

"It's a critical hit, folks! Scizoro is down!" Spade said excitedly.

Abigail recoiled when she saw the pokémon fall to the ground. "Oh no! He's in trouble, now!" she cried.

Ace put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Mustang planned for this and Scizoro did what was needed."

"I hope you're right..." Abigail said.

"Scizoro! Come back! You deserve this!" Mustang called back his pokémon. "Inferni! You know what you need to do!" shouted Mustang in the direction of the hole that Inferni was in.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake a little as Inferni made it's way underground to Pachirisu. Pachirisu was looking around trying to find the source of where Inferni would emerge and strike. Without warning, Inferni jumped out of the ground behind the squirrel and slammed it into the ground.

"Oh! That's super-effective!" exclaimed Spade from the stands. "Pachirisu is unable to battle! The challenger wins!" The crowds on both sides went ballistic with excitement.

"Yes! We did it!" shouted Mustang as he ran towards the flame chimp. "You did great, Inferni!" The two friends hugged and Mustang called Inferni back to her ball. "Good job, Inferni. You deserve a nice, long rest. Nice work out there."

Mustang then went into the blue elevator once more with a proud smile.

Once at the bottom, Ty was down there to greet him. "Hey, sport! Stupendous job out there!" Ty exclaimed. He then unexpectedly hugged Mustang as he stepped out of the elevator. Mustang, shocked, just stood there with wide eyes as Ty finished hugging him.

"Well thanks, Ty! It wasn't as easy as the others, but I got through okay. So I guess now you're my manager!" Mustang excitedly said.

"Yup! Oh, here's Empress, Azeli, your Battle Pass, 800 battle points, and a Pikachu badge! Hey buddy, I gotta run. My wife and kids are expecting me." Ty said handing him his pokéballs, Battle Pass, a battle points card, and a yellow badge.

"Thanks for everything Ty! See you in two days at the Gateway Colosseum!" Mustang called afer Ty who was already at the exit of the room.

"See ya then! Bye!" Ty yelled back as he went through the exit.

As the door opened, Mustang could hear the crowd of fans, once again. Mustang grimaced.

"Oh boy, here we go again, just like yesterday..."

* * *

Well I hope you liked it! I have gotten some feedback from my younger sister a couple days ago saying the battles should be longer. I hope I did fine. Please tell me how I did!

Also, Arcanegears and another reviewer, Veevee, have agreed to having them in the fic. they will both most likely appear in the next chapter. I hope this all works out, and please remember what I said earlier about reviewing and getting an offer from me to be in the fic!

Thanks again! Good night and please hit the "Review this Chapter" button right below this!


	9. 9: Feelings for Dinner

Wow. I'm amazed from how frequently I'm getting reviews now since Arcanegears has reviewed this story. So I thank you once again Arcanegears and everyone else that has reviewed. I really appreciate it.

Well in case you didn't read the very ending notes of chapter eight, I will say it once more. Arcanegears and Veevee have accepted to be in the fic. I will try to put them into this chapter. Arcanegears' character's name will be Conor while Veevee's character is Evelyn. So thanks for your reviews, you two.

Now, I must bring up some business. If you are a non member, you have reviewed this story, and I don't know you from another site or in real life, I won't be able to offer you making an appearance in the story. I have received a review from a Haley but since they don't belong to the site, I can't respond to your review. Luckily, I have an idea of who you are. Anyways, if you have a review but you don't belong to the site and I don't know you from anywhere else, please after your review, send an email to and I will then be able to offer you an appearance or two.

Well onto the story, now! In this chapter, the romance comes a bit more into the story. Hope you like it! Thanks for reading and please review!

* * *

Last Chapter:

Love becomes more apparent between Mustang and Abigail before the match. Mustang conquers Taylor, the Main Street Colosseum Leader.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

The Rise of Mustang Chapter 9: Feelings for Dinner

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

**(A.N.: If you didn't know, in the order I say the ages, from top to bottom are oldest to youngest. So they're all 15, but Mustang is the oldest of the group)**

* * *

Just as Mustang started walking towards the door, a small orb of purple light appeared about 6 feet in front of Mustang. The glowing, purple ball grew larger and larger until it suddenly disappeared leaving his 3 friends, an Alakazam, and one more boy in the room.

As Abigail called back her pokémon, Mustang ran over to his friends and gave each of them a hug. Ace's hug was more of a competition to see who could squeeze tighter. Mustang then gave a small, yet friendly hug to Emma. Then the young man finished by walking over to Abigail hugging her a bit longer than the others, which gave her comfort.

Ace was finally the first to notice the other young man that looked to be about the same age as the other friends. "Hello? Can we help you? I'm not sure if we know you." Ace asked the boy.

"The name's Conor **(A.N.: There's Arcanegears' character! Hope he does well)**. I'm a fan of Mustang, but not like the crazed ones like out there." Conor said confidently while motion towards the exit door where the screaming fans were outside.

Conor looked to be around 16 years old. He was around six feet tall and thin; just the right proportions. Mustang and his three friends, who were now forming a little defensive formation in front of the man who had just conquered the Main Street Colosseum, noticed he was clean shaven and had fairly short brown hair. Conor had hazel eyes and wore baggy gray cargo shorts along with an orange polo shirt.

"Well just don't cause any trouble. Mustang's been through a lot today." Emma spat.

Conor was a bit angered at her attitude but was sure to not let it show much."Oh, well I don't mean to cause any trouble. I just wanted to meet the now famous Mustang, who swept the floor with Leader Taylor without even breaking a sweat."

Mustang's eyes had a small shine in them as he raised his head a little. He gently moved out from behind his friends and walked a foot or two in front of them. Don't you _dare_ talk about Taylor like that..." Mustang warned.

Abigail grabbed onto her crushes' arm to try to stop him from lashing out at the opposing teen. "Listen. This guy is trouble. Just ignore him." she said quietly so the others wouldn't hear. Her soothing and calm voice calmed Mustang down a bit. Two seconds later, she released him.

It was a battle of wills. Mustang and Conor stared into each other's eyes with determination... Ace and the girls stepped back with worried faces as they thought the two would suddenly break out into a battle.

Just when Mustang was about to challenge the young man blocking their path to the doors to a pokémon battle, Conor suddenly smiled. This shocked the four friends at the sudden friendliness.

"You know, I like your style. You got real guts. I'm sorry I was kinda a jerk earlier. It was merely a test to see if you really deserved your fame." Conor explained, still smiling. He then walked forward and stretched out his arm towards Mustang. "Friends?"

Mustang looked down at the hand being offered to him, thinking out everything that just occurred. The girls and Ace were now at Mustang's side about 5 feet away from him. They watched Mustang's expression trying to figure out exactly what was going to happen. Suddenly, Mustang's semi frown broke into a smile.

Mustang looked up at the friendly face. "Friends." he said. And with that, Mustang outstretched his own arm and shook Conor's hand.

"Thanks for believing me. Well I gotta go, however. My roommate and I are going fishing down at the pier." Conor said, cooly. "It was very nice meeting you three, as well." Conor waved his hand to Ace, Abigail, and Emma. He then turned and walked to the door and left.

Mustang sighed in relief as the doors closed. The rest of the group noticed this as walked over to him. Just as Ace was about to say something, Mustang stopped him by starting to explain.

"Don't worry." Mustang said as he then looked at his three surrounding friends. "I trust Conor now." He inhaled and changed the subject. "I think Azeli deserves some air. Let's go, though."

Mustang grabbed a Dusk Ball from his belt and pressed the small button in the center of it. The green orb opened and a blue fairy-like pokémon flew out of the black clouds coming from the ball. Mustang couldn't help but smile when the Azelf turned around and had a very excited look when the pokémon saw it's trainer.

"It's good to see you too, buddy. Come on, you can ride on my shoulder, if ya want." Mustang said to Azeli, who nodded and went over to Mustang's shoulder. Azeli floated down onto it and adjusted itself for the ride.

"Awww! They're so cute!" exclaimed Emma with a very large grin on her face.

Mustang chuckled. "Yeah, I got Azeli when I was 12 years old. But we've been friends ever since I was four." The young man said, looking at the blue fairy on his shoulder.

The party began heading towards the door. They were all listening carefully to hear if the crowd had given up on seeing Mustang. Luckily, they had all left and no one was outside the metal sliding doors. Mustang and his friends left the building and headed to the boys' apartment for dinner, seeing as the girls had made them breakfast and lunch.

"Really, we don't want to have to make you cook for us!" Abigail insisted.

"We'll be fine!" Emma followed.

Mustang opened the door and Azeli floated in closely behind it's master. "Well that's what we said this morning. But you two didn't listen to us. Besides, we owe you, remember?"

Both the girls sighed as a sign of surrender. "Fine, we'll stay." Emma said.

"Good." said Ace with a nod as the girls finished walking in.

"Whoa! Your color scheme is so much cooler than our apartment's colors!" Abigail said excitedly and as she walked into the living room and sat down on a couch. Emma followed and sat down next to her friend. Azeli decided he wanted to play with the two girls and floated over beside them.

"Ha ha thanks. What would you two lovely ladies like to eat this evening?" Mustang said with his hands against the the top of the island. Ace was busy rummaging through the pantry, freezer, fridge, and cupboards for exactly what he wanted.

"Um... I guess I'll have soup. I'm getting a sore throat from all the cheering lately." said Abigail, feeling her neck with her hand.

"That's a good idea. I think I'll do the same." said Mustang as he went over to the pantry to grab a couple of red, mild berries. The boy then preheated the burners on the stove while filling up a pot with hot water.

While Ace was still looking through the cupboards, he finally found what he wanted; a potato. Mustang looked over at his friend and his potato. "Dude, you serious with that... potato?" Mustang raised an eyebrow while asking his friend.

"Oh yeah, totally! Back in Hoenn, my grandma taught me this _awesome_ recipe for some baked potatoes!" Ace said, eyes wide with enthusiasm.

"Ha ha _just_ baked potatoes?" Mustang asked with an amused look on his face.

Ace chuckled at this question and answered it with another question. "Well I guess you'll just have to find out, won't you?"

Emma became interested at this and stopped tickling the Azelf for a moment. "Hey, Ace. Do you think you could make me one, too? I'm kinda interested to find out what you're talking about. And plus, mashed potatoes sound good tonight." the girl said.

"Yeah, it'd be my pleasure. Now do you want it to be spicy, mild, sweet, tangy, or I guess whatever you want, really." Ace explained while going back to grab another potato. He set this one next to his potato on the counter.

Emma pondered for a second. She then made up her mind. "I want it to be spicy." the young teen said.

"Spicy it is, then." Ace said, going into the pantry. He came back with two handfuls of berries. Some red, pink, green, orange, blue, and yellow. "Man, I can't wait for this..." Ace said to himself, under his breath as he cut up the berries into many small cubes.

The water was now boiling. Mustang went to the fridge and pulled out a carton of Miltank milk. He poured half of the substance in and put the rest back in the fridge. After that, he grabbed an orange berry from the large pile Ace had next to him. Mustang placed his red berry along with the orange berry into the blender next to the sink and put the lid on the machine. The young teen turned the power to medium and pressed the button to start the blending process. About 30 seconds later, Mustang stopped and poured the creamy, dark orange substance into the boiling, watery milk. Mustang then grabbed a wooden spoon and mixed the soup together so the dark orange color mixed with the white. A faint smell of the soup that smelled of a mild salsa entered the room as he did this motion.

Everyone in the room noticed this smell and had a reacted nicely to it. "Mmmmm! Mustang, that smells so good! I can't wait to try it!" Abigail said, sniffing the air with her eyes shut in pleasure.

"Ha ha thanks, Abigail. It's an old recipe I made a long time ago." replied Mustang.

The creamy soup was now a coral orange color. Mustang turned the stove off and poured the soup into two separate bowls.

"Abby, what would you like to drink?" asked Mustang as he looked into the fridge for the young woman and him to drink.

"I think I'm going to have milk since this is a slightly spicy soup. I'm not one for spicy or mild foods." she said.

Mustang reached into the fridge and pulled out the half full carton of Miltank Milk. "No problem. I know how ya feel. That's why I added another berry into the soup to even out the spicy flavor a bit." Mustang got out two glasses and poured the remnants of the milk into them.

"Really? You are so thoughtful!" Abigail said, blushing a bit.

"Oh, it's not a problem. Hey, what do you guys say we go eat out on the balcony tonight? It's a warm night and I can put up the bug screen so we won't have any unwanted visitors," Mustang suggested.

"That sounds like fun! I always enjoy eating outside. It's calming." Emma agreed. "Here, Ace. Let me help you." she finished as she walked over to the Ace who was still cooking.

"Thanks, Emma. I really appreciate it." said Ace. "Can you put those peeled potatoes right there onto a pan and in the oven? I've preheated it, so be careful."

"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Abigail said. "I'll grab our food, Stang."

Mustang called back Azeli before heading out to the balcony. He then dragged a screen along the railing that connected to the roof to the other side of the ledge. There were small holes in the screen, but not large enough for any bugs to come through. There was also a screen along the bottom of the railing that connected to the floor. The boy finished closing that one as well just as Abigail came out with a tray. The tray had their soup, drinks, napkins, and silverware on it.

"Thanks Abigail. Can you please place that on the glass table right there?" Mustang said, pointing to a large glass table with 6 seats around it. He walked inside for a moment to turn on the lights on the balcony ceiling so they could have some light as they ate.

"Yeah, sure, no problem." Abigail said, putting down the tray carefully, being sure not to spill anything.

Mustang walked over to Abigail with his heart pounding in his chest. He was sure that the girl would hear it if he got any closer.

"Um, h-hey, Abby?" Mustang stuttered. 'Man, I've got to be kidding myself...' he thought to himself.

Abigail turned around and looked at the young man standing in front of her. 'Oh, I hope this is it...' she thought. "Yes, Mustang? What is it?"

"This morning, when you kissed my cheek... I want to know... Do you feel about me in more than a friendly way?" Mustang asked. He couldn't bear looking into her beautiful, green eyes...

'Oh, how in the world do I answer this... Should I be honest...? Yes... I have to be.' Abigail said in her head. She sighed and took a deep breath. "Honestly, yes Mustang... I do feel that way about you. I think you're the most amazing boy I've ever met and I really like you..." Now she too wasn't looking at the person in front of her.

"Really?" Mustang now had gathered enough courage to look at the beautiful girl in front of him. "Well... I feel the same way, Abby. I've liked you ever since we first met." He was smiling and blushing madly but he didn't care.

Abigail took a fast inhale of breath upon hearing these words from his lips. She looked up into his eyes. She was blushing, but she didn't care. She scanned his emerald eyes to see if he was telling the truth. Abigail saw them sparkle a bit... 'Yes, yes he is telling the truth...' she thought to herself.

Mustang was about to say something when Abigail flung herself into his arms, making him stumble backward a bit but the young man caught himself. She hugged him tightly hoping to get a response from him. Mustang opened his mouth and to say something but decided against it. He gave into Abigail's embrace and hugged her back.

They suddenly heard Emma's and Ace's voices coming down the hallway. The two quickly broke apart but were still blushing furiously. About three seconds later, their friends came out onto the balcony chatting about today.

"... Well I think Mustang did a fine job today." Ace walked over to Mustang and put his arm around his friend's shoulders. Then Ace looked at Mustang's face. "Why are you blushing, man? Ehh, whatever. Let's eat, I'm hungry." Ace then sat down in one of the seats.

Emma looked over at Abigail and noticed she was blushing like crazy, as well. 'Well as long as it doesn't get out of control, I'm fine with them.' Emma thought to herself, knowing what had happened. "Well let's eat, then!" she said, hiding the fact of her knowledge.

Abigail sat down and Mustang took the seat next to her. Ace took notice in this and suspected something was up. He decided right now wasn't the time to think about it right now, though, and cut open his baked potato and mashed the white, chalky insides. Emma watched what he was doing and did the same. The two put salt and pepper on their food which was followed by the tiny, colorful cubes of the berries.

Mustang and Abigail dipped their spoons into the light orange soup that sat in front of each of them. "Mmmm! Wow, Mustang! You're an amazing cook! This is delicious!" Abigail exclaimed taking another large spoonful.

'Did I really do that good...? I didn't even use all of the ingredients I usually use for the recipe... Oh well.' Mustang thought to himself. "Thanks, Abby. How's your food, you two?" he then asked his two friends sitting across from him. Mustang then took a spoonful of the creamy substance in front of him. It tasted of a more spicy tomato soup along with a tangy aftertaste. 'Mmm! I _did_ do good on this!' he thought.

"Oh, its delicious! Thanks again, Ace. It tastes wonderful." Emma said taking another bite of her now colorful potato. The food tasted like regular mashed potatoes at first, but once she bit into the berry cubes, her mouth bursted into multiple flavors. At first it was mildly spicy, then a cooling sweetness followed by a tangy taste. It tasted superbly.

"Oh it's my pleasure, Emma. I'm glad you two decided to let us cook for you tonight." Ace said to the girls.

"No, thank _you_! It was a very good idea!" exclaimed Abigail as she finished off the rest of her soup and milk. Everyone was amazed at how fast she ate. The young teen girl noticed how surprised they were. "What? I was hungry." Abigail explained and everyone laughed at the response she had.

Once everyone was finished eating, Ace looked over at Mustang. "Well, Stangy, I guess we better head off to the Gateway Colosseum."

Mustang rose an eyebrow at the nickname his friend had given him. "Stangy? You serious?" the four friends laughed at his reaction.

"Ha ha I was just seeing what you'd say. But seriously, we gotta get movin'. I gotta be there in 20 minutes." Ace said, standing up while looking at his Pokétch. It stated the time was 9:40 P.M. He grabbed his plate and started heading towards the door.

Mustang groaned. "Wait, you're serious? We gotta be there in 20 minutes? Okay fine..." the boy grumbled. The girls laughed at his humorous action.

"Well we can come with you, Mustang. We can sit in the crowds with you and cheer Ace on." Abigail suggested, smiling warmly.

"Yeah, let us come! It'd be fun!" Emma followed.

Ace and Mustang chuckled at this. "Well I guess if you really want to, you can come." Mustang told them.

The four friends cleaned everything up and went onto the balcony once more. By this time, it was 9:45 P.M.

* * *

Well sorry to end it weirdly. But I can't find a spot to end it for awhile with it seeming natural. And I got Arcanegears' character, Conor, to fit in successfully! You'll be seeing some more of him in the next chapter! Well anyways, I hope you enjoyed the ninth installment of The Rise of Mustang! Please review! Bye!


	10. 10: Gateway Stars

Well, I promised you that I'd keep writing. I've had so many casualties with chapter ten!! First, I get no inspiration. Then it gets deleted when I finally get some. And _then_ I start over and finish the chapter two hours later until when I try to go load it onto OpenOffice, the entire chapter gets deleted. But finally I was writing this (hoping for it to be the last time) when suddenly the storm knocked the power out! •Sigh• Oh well... So here's the next chapter. And by the way, since I've kinda gotten out of my writing, the characters' personality may have changed a bit... I'm getting their old ones back because I'm reading through the entire story to find out what they were like. But please read anyways!

This chapter introduces two new characters, too. That's right, it's Veevee's character, Evelyn along with Faroresdragn character, Tanuki. Veevee gave me one request to do with Evelyn, but I'll see if you can figure it out. Anyone that gets it right will receive the offer to be a pokémon in the fic. So review people!

* * *

Last Chapter:

A new character, Conor, enters the story. He's a bit tough at first, but that's only a test to see if Mustang was worthy of being an ally. Mustang and Ae prepare dinner for the girls and themselves and a bit of romance between Mustang and Abigail begins. Ace notices they're acting weird, but leaves it at that.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

The Rise of Mustang Chapter 10: Gateway Stars

* * *

Conor - Age 16

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

"Hey, let's teleport. I need to hurry. Is that alright?" Ace asked his friends.

Mustang and the girls looked at each other. "Well it's fine by me. You two?" Mustang said to Abigail and Emma.

"Yeah, no problem." The girls agreed. Abigail took the ball containing Alakazam from her belt. She then threw the metal ball onto the ground in front of herself and her friends. Right before the poké ball made contact with the balcony floor, a white light absorbed the absorbed the ball. The sphere of light then started changing it's form from a ball into a Alakazam shape. Suddenly, the light clinging to the pokémon shot off in all directions, leaving glitter falling through the air all around the balcony.

"Okay, I gotta admit, that was pretty freakin' sweet." Ace said.

"Thanks. Well boys, you know the drill. Ace, hold onto Emma's arm while you hold onto my arm, Stang." Abigail told them and then winking at Mustang when her friends weren't paying attention.

Mustang saw this and suddenly felt happiness along with a bit of relaxation wash over him. He walked over to Abigail's side and delicately placed his hand on her are with a sweet smile.

Abigail felt her worries melt away as she felt Mustang's tender touch and genuine smile. Suddenly she heard Emma's voice, snapping Abigail out of her trance.

"Hey! We gonna go, or what?" Emma called from the other side of Alakazam.

"Oh! Erm, yeah. Sorry, just thinking about something." Abigail and Mustang looked away from each other, both blushing furiously. "Alakazam, Teleport us to the entrance of Gateway Colosseum." Abigail gave the order with a firm yet sincere tone.

The pokémon didn't say anything, but instead raised his right arm. The familiar purple ball of light appeared around the friends. The sphere decreased in size until it was completely gone, along with the teens.

Mustang felt it was time to open his eyes, after all it _was_ teleportation. Both eyelids opened up on his face as he began to look at his surroundings.

He seemed to be standing correctly as he looked down. Mustang then looked in all the other directions. 'What? We're in space...?' He thought to himself. 'Is this how Teleport works?' Mustang looked ahead and saw a spinning disc of light rapidly approaching. He peered to his left and saw his friends all with their eyes closed calmly, including Alakazam, who appeared to be directing them towards the light portal. Mustang then concluded that it wasn't the portal approaching them, it was himself and his friends moving at a blurring speed through space.

The group of friends entered the portal. Mustang had to close his eyes from the intensity of the light. He clamped them shut as behind the eyelids he saw the light fade away into black. The first thing Mustang felt was his head throbbing. Mustang tried to open his eyes to see where he was, but found that he was drained of all of his strength to keep them open. The last thing Mustang heard before he gave into the surrounding darkness was the sweet voice of his love, Abigail...

Abigail opened her eyes after the light disappeared behind her eyelids. She then noticed that she couldn't feel Mustang's hand on her arm anymore. Abigail looked down and saw Mustang's body sprawled out upon the pavement, with his eyes closed. Any normal person passing by would have thought the poor boy was dead and scream in terror, but Abigail knew better.

"Ha ha I remember my first time..." the young lady said. Abigail then called Alakazam back to it's poké ball before turning to her other two companions. "Hey, Mustang's unconscious. He opened his eyes before we entered the portal. I'm going to try and wake him while you two go on ahead. We'll meet you there. Good luck Ace! I promise Mustang will see you whoop that leader!"

Emma and Ace gave a puzzled look. "Um, okay. See you in the stands, Abi! Come on Ace, let's go." Emma said to her friend before walking in the direction of the colosseum.

"Oh! Okay, I'm right behind you Emma." Ace followed after her.

Abigail saw her friends go father in the distance. She then turned to her unconscious friend on the ground and kneeled down. Abigail put her hand on Mustang's chest and lightly shook him. "Mustang, come on, wake up sweetie." Abigail giggled as she said sweetie.

Mustang turned over on his side and and groaned in his sleep. "Ughnn... Wake me up when breakfast is ready, Abi..."

Abigail had a shocked face as he said that. Was Mustang dreaming about her in his sleep? And why would she be making him breakfast? Were they married in his dreams? A dozen questions and thoughts raced through her mind as she went over what Mustang had just said. Abigail shook her head, deciding this was not the time for that. She put her hands on his chest once again and rolled him over. Once Mustang was on his back again, she shook him harder. "Come on! You gotta wake up!" Abigail pleaded with him.

"Mm um..." Mustang groaned again, shaking his head sleepily.

Abigail stood up, scowling at Mustang. "Hmph! Fine! I know something that WILL wake you!" She took a Quick Ball from her belt. "Come on out, Exploud! I need your help!" The blue and yellow ball shot out light as it came close to the ground, concentrating in one place. A large Exploud materialized from the white light.

As Exploud came completely out, the Quick Ball shot back at Abigail. She used her quick reflexes and raised her right hand to catch the ball, leaving a small smack sound coursing through the air. Exploud beat his fists together. "Ex! Exploud!" Exloud said loudly.

"Hey it's been awhile. Welcome to my new battle pass. But I need you to do something for me." Abigail said to the purple and yellow pokémon. Exploud gave a confused look and cocked his head slightly. Abigail continued on, motioning her hand to Mustang. "This is Mustang. He opened his eyes during Transport and now is knocked out and I can't wake him. Think you can? Oh but don't scare him too bad. He means a lot to me." Abigail smiled, hopes high.

"Ex! Loud, loud!" The pokémon turned to Mustang's unconscious body and took a few steps back, Abigail doing the same. Exploud opened his mouth only slightly, as to not do any damage but still get the job done. He grunted loudly enough that the people walking across the street heard and turned their heads to see what the source of the strange noise was. Suddenly, Mustang awoke with a start and sat up quickly.

"Wha?! What happened?!" Mustang exclaimed, wide-eyed.

"Good morning to you too, thick skull!" Abigail said, jokingly. "Good job, Exploud. Thanks." She called Exploud back to it's ball and she ran over to Mustang.

"Oh gee, thanks." Mustang said sarcastically. "I was having the nicest dream... What happened, though? Why does my head hurt and why was I so out of it that you needed an Exploud to wake me up?"

Abigail giggled. "Well you opened your eyes during Teleport, which messes with your brain and knocks you out once your to your destination. I did the same thing about 3 years ago, when I first teleported. A Loudred came along and did what my Exploud just did to you. In fact, Exploud was that Loudred. But enough of that! Your best friend is already onto the semifinal trainer!" Abigail explained. She then took Mustang's hand and started running at full speed, practically dragging him behind her.

¤₪Back inside the main room of the colosseum₪¤

"Thanks, Ty. I appreciate your help." Ace said.

"Don't mention it. I'm just doing my job." Ty replied with a smile. "Good luck against Joe."

"Don't worry." Ace said confidently as the blue elevator rose swiftly.

¤₪In the stands₪¤

"Hey! Took you two long enough! Feeling alright Mustang? You had Ace and I worried." Emma said, helping Abigail and Mustang sit down.

Mustang stuck his tongue out. "Well I didn't know that if you opened your eyes you would get knocked out! At least we get to see Ace beat this last guy."

"Yeah. Look, there he is now." Abigail said calmly, pointing towards the entrance of the now opening elevator.

¤₪On the battlefield₪¤

"Welcome to Pokétopia!" said a man in a tuxedo and blue hair waved to the side. "I'm impressed you made it this far without the team you created yourself! But are you good enough to beat me?"

"You must be Joe. It's a pleasure. Too bad I'll have to take it from you by beating you." Ace said cooly. "Go Monferno!"

"Go Mudkip!" Joe threw his poké ball simultaneously with Ace.

"Monferno! Use Grass Knot!" Ace called to the orange monkey. "Mon! Mon!" Monferno replied to it's temporary master.

Monferno ran at Mudkip, running around it once. Meanwhile tying a knot made of grass woven together onto all four of Mudkip's legs. Mudkip tried to escape but just ended up tripping flat on it's face.

"Oh that's it! Mudkip! Use Waterfall!" Joe called to the blue pokémon. Mudkip nodded slightly and engorged itself in water as it charged Monferno. The orange monkey tried to jump out of the way, but Mudkip jumped and met it's opponent in midair, sending Monferno flying back.

"Monferno is unable to battle! Who will Ace use next?" Spade's voice rang out over the intercom.

"Ugh... Dang... Go! Luxio!" Ace threw another poké ball after calling back Monferno. "Use Spark, Luxio!"

The black and blue cat didn't need to be told twice and charged forward at Mudkip with his body coursing with electrical shocks. Mudkip was so frightened it couldn't move! Luxio slammed into Mudkip at full force, knocking out Mudkip.

"Now Mudkip is unable to battle!" Spade called once again.

"Dang." Joe said under his breath. "Go! Treeko!"

Joe tossed another ball onto the field and a green gecko appeared onto the ground.

"Come back, Luxio! Come on out, Gabite." Ace said throwing yet another red and white ball.

A blue and red dragon came out of the ball. "Gabite!" it cried into the night.

Joe smirked. "Treeko! Use Dragonbreath!" Treeko opened it's mouth as purple and crimson fire erupted from it's mouth and fell on Gabite.

"Oh! Joe was thinking ahead!" exclaimed Spade.

"Gah! Gabite! Use Aerial Ace!" yelled Ace.

Gabite charged forward and bashed it's head into Treeko.

"Treeko barely hung on using it's Focus Sash!" said a surprised Spade.

Joe smiled cockily. "Use Energy Ball!" Treeko did a backflip and then launched a green orb of light from it's mouth at Gabite. The ball struck Gabite squarely in the chest, causing the dragon to fall to the ground, knocked out.

"Gabite is unable to battle! The red corner seems to have the advantage right now. Can Ace get back?" Spade questioned the crowd.

Ace smirked. "I'll get back. Don't you worry." Ace said under his breath. "Come on out, Luxio!"

"Luxio is sent back out. Let's see how this plays out." Spade said curiously.

"Luxio! Use Quick Attack!" Luxio responded almost instantly to the command it was given. Luxio charged forward at blurring speed and slammed into Treeko, knocking it out on contact.

"Smart move, Ace!" Spade exclaimed.

Joe's smile faded. "Come on out, Spinda!" Joe threw his final poké ball. A red and tan panda with spirals all over it emerge from the ball. It looked like it could barely stand.

Spade was confused. "Spinda? Now this is an interesting choice. Let's see how it pays off for Joe."

Joe moved first. "Spinda! Use Teeter Dance!" Spinda began to spin in a circle and a strange melody rang through the air.

"Luxio is now confused!" Spade exclaimed in shock.

"Luxio! Use Spark!" Ace ordered, hoping that Luxio could use it despite it's confusion. His luck paid off as Luxio ran towards Spinda, it's body crackling with electricity sparks. Luxio jumped and tackled Spinda perfectly, paralyzing Spinda.

"Spinda has just been paralyzed! This should even the playing field!" announced Spade.

"Ugh... I haven't been put in a corner so fast in awhile..." Joe muttered.

"Luxio! Again!" Ace told Luxio. This time, Luxio hurt itself in it's confusion. "Dang." Ace said under his breath.

Joe took this as a good opportunity to attack. "Spinda! Use Psybeam!" Spinda began to glow when suddenly a bunch of differently colored lights flung off of Spinda's body and attacked Luxio.

"Luxio! Finish this! Use Spark for a final time!" Ace called to the black and blue pokémon. Luxio snapped out of it's confusion and dove forward at full power and speed with it's entire body absorbed in electricity. The attack was too much for Spinda as it flew back a couple yards and stayed like that.

"Spinda is unable to battle! Ace has beat the Gateway Colosseum Challenge!" Spade exclaimed excitedly from the announcer tower. The crowd went wild.

"Whoo! That was tough! But I beat Joe! Yes!!" Ace said in an extremely happy tone.

"Yeah! I knew he could do it!" Mustang shouted happily as he stood up with Emma and Abigail, who were both clapping and cheering.

"What...?! ... Well... So, did you have fun?" Joe asked Ace. To be honest, Ace didn't know if Joe was angry or serious at the moment.

"Yeah. Thanks for the great battle." Ace said with a smile before walking inside the blue elevator, which soon after descended rapidly down the shaft.

Ty was there to meet him at the bottom of the shaft with some familiar faces along with some new ones that Ace couldn't recognize.

"Hey, hey, hey! Nice job, Ace! I'm now your manager as well as Mustang's! Oh, here's 280 battle points, a bronze badge, and a new battle pass design!" Ty said, shaking Ace's hand and giving him all the rewards. "Well, I gotta run. I have a meeting with some of the other Pokétopia managers."

Mustang and Ace practically said the same sentence at the same time. "Hey, tell Helen hi for us!" The entire group laughed at their similarities.

"Will do." Ty said with a smile before departing. "Oh and Mustang! I expect to see you at the Waterfall Colosseum at 10:30 AM tomorrow! Don't be late!"

"Congratulations, Ace. You deserve this." Emma said, walking forward and leaning in towards Ace's cheek as she kissed him. Ace looked at her surprised and blushing pretty bad. Emma was looking right back, blushing a crimson red.

Mustang, Abigail, and the other people surrounding Ace cheered and awed at what Emma had just done. Mustang decided enough was enough and stepped up on a rock so he was taller than everyone. "Hey everyone, we all have a little love somewhere in our hearts. So give these two a break." Mustang said with a smile as everyone's laughter died down.

Mustang stepped down. "Thanks, bro. You're a real friend." Ace said with a smile, putting a hand on his best friend's shoulder.

Mustang then scanned the crowd to see if he could recognize any faces. "Hey! Conor! Come 'ere!" Mustang said, motioning to the young man wearing the same orange polo shirt as yesterday. But Conor wasn't alone. As he came up to the front, Mustang and is friends noticed he was with someone else; a girl.

"Hey guys. Congrats Ace. You did great. Oh! Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Evelyn." Conor put his arm around the waist of the girl next to him.

Evelyn was about a head shorter than Conor was and just as thin. Evelyn had long blonde hair that fell to her shoulder wings (**A.N.: I don't know what those two bones are called just past your shoulders! Sorry)**. Her eyes were a deep and beautiful blue. She was wearing a black tank top with a red hexagon design on some parts of the clothing, which looked identical to Ace's shirt, only Evelyn's was red. Evelyn was also wearing semi tight jeans that were red and had the same hexagon pattern but this pattern was black. There was one detail about her though that stuck out to everyone; she had a sleeping Eevee in her arms.

"Hey Evelyn, nice to meet you." Mustang said with a smile, but his eyes stuck on the Eevee. "Oh, these are my friends. This is Abigail, Ace, and Emma." Mustang motioned to each of his friends with each of them smiling.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope we can become great friends. Well Conor and I gotta go, but we'll see you guys around! Congrats Ace!" Evelyn shook each of their hands and then departed with Conor through the door.

By now, most of the crowd had left except for a few of the fans which wanted an autograph from both Ace and Mustang. Little did any of them know, there was a pair of eyes watching them from the leaves of the tree in the middle of the giant room.

The black shape was kneeling on one of the branches towards the center of the tree, high above the ground. The man placed his mouth to his watch on his wrist and pressed a button. He began to speak into the watch. "This is Tanuki. I've found the target. He's always with those three friends, though."

Another voice came back through a small speaker on the watch. "Great job, boss. We'll keep an eye on him for ya."

Tanuki smiled as he jumped out of the tree and ran out the door.

Ace just finished up the last autograph. "Wait. Did anyone just see the door open but no one come in or out?" Ace said, looking towards the door.

"Probably just some fan leaving. Come on, let's go." Mustang said.

Abigail and Emma agreed. "Totally... I'm so tired..." Abigail yawned as her eyelids became half drooped.

Mustang walked over and put his arm around her waist and pulled her body close to his own. Abigail was surprised by this and looked up at Mustang who was smiling sincerely. "There. Now you can lay your head on my shoulder and rest a bit as we walk home." Abigail gave into his words and laid her head on his shoulder. It wasn't very comfortable, but she liked the feeling anyways.

Emma and Ace looked at the couple in front of them and then at each other. "Wait, so they love each other?" Ace whispered with out Mustang or Abigail hearing. Emma giggled quietly.

"He he! Yep! They found out about each other tonight." Emma explained.

Ace put his hand on Emma's. The two smiled as they each felt the other's fingers intertwine with their own. They began to walk up to their friends.

Mustang then glanced at his Pokétch. The blue screen showed it was 1:24 AM. "Wow is it that late? Hm, we better get home fast, then."

"Yeah, totally." Emma agreed. "But it's 1:25 in the morning. There could be gangs out right now..." Emma said concerned.

Mustang and Ace chuckled. "Look, they're only gangs. Ace and I could beat them with our pokémon." Mustang said, turning to Ace. The two smiled and nodded towards each other.

Emma groaned. "Fine, but I have a baaaad feeling about this..." Emma muttered as her friends and herself exited the colosseum.

* * *

Well! There ya go! I _finally_ did it!! I'm once again really sorry this didn't get out sooner but this version of chapter turned out _much_ better than the draft. I kinda feel like I got the personalities right. Except for Ace. =/ He is going to be hard to get back. Sorry it was so long. This is a good place to end, though. Anyways, please review! Remember to tell me what you think Veevee's request was for Evelyn to get this chapter's prize. Also, if you know anyone that likes reading or pokémon, tell them about this fic! Night!


	11. 11: Mistake

Well chapter ten was _originally_ going to be around nine-hundred words but obviously, it grew to be the largest chapter of the fic so far. I know I haven't described what Tanuki looks like and there is reason for that. He won't be described in this chapter, even. But he will be in the next one, so just be patient.

Hey, I'm not sure if I have the personalities right. Can someone please review to tell me? I would love to get some more feedback and this is something I need help on. Multiple responses (each from a different person) would help me _greatly_. However I know for a fact that Ace isn't back yet. Oh well. Please enjoy this chapter and review once you are done. Thanks. Also, this chapter is a bit darker than the others. It's also a little sad, but that's just my opinion.

**UPDATE: Congratulations to OvErLoRd Darkspine for winning the reward of chapter ten! He said that the sleeping Eevee was the one request Veevee gave me, and he is correct. In return, I'm allowing him to pick a pokémon that Evelyn will use in her team.

* * *

**

Last Chapter:

Ace takes on the Gateway Colosseum and crushes it. A new character, Tanuki, enters the story and appears to be spying on Mustang and his friends.

**

* * *

**

**The Rise of Mustang

* * *

**

The Rise of Mustang Chapter 11: Mistake

* * *

Conor - Age 16

Evelyn - Age 16

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

Tanuki watched from the shadows of a garbage can as the large metal doors of the colosseum across the street opened. Four figures then proceeded to walk out. As they passed under a street light, Tanuki could make out that it was the target along with his friends. Tanuki placed his mouth right by his watch. "This is Tanuki. I'm in position. Watch those monitors for the target's dot to appear." He said quietly. Tanuki then raised his arm and made a fist, pointing towards the teens.

Tanuki angled his fist downwards and took his left hand, placing it on his watch which was on his right wrist. "Angle down a bit..." Tanuki said to himself with concentration. The man lowered his arm just barely as he said this. Tanuki then pressed a button on the watch with his thumb.

Tanuki watched a tiny metal thorn fly out of the watch with his amazing eyesight. There was no sound as it launched or flew through the air at great speed towards the target, Mustang Ranger.

Tanuki placed his ear against his watch after removing his left hand from it. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Annnnd... There we go. Nice shot, boss. The tracking device embedded itself in the target's shoe. We're watching his every movement on screen at H.Q." the voice said.

"I'm heading back. Send Renaldo to intercept Ranger." Tanuki replied.

There was a slight chuckle before the voice responded. "Will do, boss."

Tanuki stood up and turned down the block in the opposite direction of Mustang.

* * *

Mustang felt Abigail's feet starting drag. Mustang assumed she had fallen asleep. "Hey, guys, hold on." Mustang called ahead to Ace and Emma, hands still pressed together.

The two stopped and watched Mustang as bent down and picked up Abigail bridal style, being careful to not wake her. Abigail sighed and nuzzled her face into Mustang's chest. Mustang could feel his muscles bulge in his arms as he adjusted Abigail a little. Luckily, the apartment complex wasn't too far away.

"Awwwe!" Emma exclaimed. "They are so cute! Mustang must be pretty strong to be able to carry Abigail as easily as he is."

Ace had to admit, he was impressed as well. He didn't expect Mustang to be so strong in both pokémon battles _or_ physically. "Yeah. He's also a pretty good gentlemen."

Once Emma and Ace had finished their comments, Mustang had caught up to them. The three friends walked down the street and turned left. Up ahead, they saw a man standing in the middle of the sidewalk under a streetlight. Mustang, Ace, nor Emma thought nothing of it and pressed on.

As they drew closer, Mustang could tell that the man was wearing a red bandana on his head which covered the beginning of the black spiked hair. He looked to be around eighteen years old. The young man was wearing some dark shades over his eyes. He wore baggy navy blue jeans and a black Pokétopia shirt.

When Mustang and his friends neared closer, the young man raised an arm and pointed directly at Mustang. "Mustang Ranger. I have come to take you back to Tanuki Evans." He said. The man then continued. "You may call me Renaldo."

Mustang's eyes went wide as he heard Tanuki's name. 'How did he find me?! I left him along with the rest of the gang back in Sinnoh!' Mustang thought. "Ace. Come wake up Abigail." Mustang said darkly, never taking his eyes off of Renaldo.

Emma and Ace looked at each other with worried looks. "Stay behind me." Ace warned her, not knowing if danger would be present. Emma nodded and followed right by Ace, holding onto his arm. She let go, however, when Ace reached to take Abigail's sleeping body from Mustang's arms. Ace laid her down carefully on the ground as him and Emma knelt down onto the pavement.

"Well you shouldn't have left Tanuki and the rest." Renaldo chuckled.

Mustang glared at his opponent. "What they were doing was wrong! Helping Team Galactic steal pokémon was going too far!"

Ace's and Emma's eyed widened and their jaws dropped slightly when they heard the two boys' words. Ace decided to wake Abigail now as he shook her lightly. Abigail's eyes opened as she felt the shaking.

"What's going on?" she said groggily. She then sat up and propped herself up on her elbows.

Ace pointed at Mustang standing with his legs spread apart slightly and his arms bent down with his hands balled into fists, giving him an appearance of power. "Mustang was apparently in a gang in Sinnoh until he left because they were helping Team Galactic steal pokémon."

Abigail was shocked as she heard the news. When she was in Team Galactic, she heard of a medium sized gang called The Tails assisting the grunts get pokémon. "I remember now..." Abigail said under her breath. Memories flooding her mind as she watched the scene in front of her.

"Enough!" Renaldo yelled. "Let's make a deal, shall we?" He had a devilish smile on his face. Tanuki had told Renaldo that Mustang loved making deals and bets and that it would be a weakness to him.

Mustang's eyebrow twitched barely at the offer. "I'm listening..."

Renaldo smirked. "A pokémon battle. If _I_ win, you come back with me to Tanuki quietly. If _you_ win, I will leave in peace, never to bother you again."

Abigail jumped up and grabbed onto Mustang's left arm. "No! Mustang, don't do it! It's a trap and a lie! Don't do it!" She pleaded.

"Abigail! Get back!" Mustang told her harshly, but only trying to protect her.

Abigail's eyes teared up at the ferocity her love had just given her. She released his arm however and stepped back to be surrounded by Emma and Ace.

"Well, Ranger? Are you going to take it or not?!" Renaldo lashed out with his words.

Mustang was still glaring at Renaldo. "I'll do it. Ace, act as the referee. Emma, stay back and make sure that Abigail doesn't attempt to stop me if I may lose."

"Let's do this, Stang!" Ace called with encouragement and zeal to his best friend. He saw Mustang smile slightly as he received the words.

"Well let's begin the show, shall we?" Renaldo stepped back a few feet. "We each pick one pokémon and that's it." He took a Master Ball from his belt and tossed it onto the ground in the street.

From the ball, a harsh purple light erupted from the ball. A giant blue and white whale with ancient red patterns inscribed upon the pokémon shot out of the ball. It let loose a roar that shook the ground slightly. "Kyoooo!!"

Mustang suddenly lost a lot of confidence as the legendary water pokémon roared. "A Kyogre?! This is going to be insane!" Abigail suddenly yelped.

Ace called to Mustang. "Mustang, man, I hope you have a plan for this thing!"

'I wish I did too...' Mustang thought to himself. "Go!" Mustang shouted as reached for the Premiere Ball on his belt and tossed it onto the street in front of Kyogre.

A shriek erupted as the ball opened. The cry came from the pink and white dragon, Palkia. "Pal!!!" The ground shook as the space dragon finished it's roar.

"Oh, now this is what I call a _fight_!" Renaldo exclaimed excitedly. "Kyogre! Use Ice Beam!"

"Palkia! Dodge and use Thunder!" Mustang called to his pokémon.

Kyogre opened it's mouth and a light blue beam of light shot out and barely missed Palkia's wing. Palkia was enraged by the attack and roared, summoning a powerful bolt of electricity which struck Kyogre with great force.

"Kyoo!" the whale cried in pain.

"Kyogre is halfway finished! Keep it up, Palkia!" Mustang encouraged Palkia.

Renaldo recoiled in shock as he heard Kyogre's cry. "Kyogre! Get up and use Sheer Cold!"

Kyogre's yellow eyes flashed as it was given the order. It flapped its large wing-like fins which lifted it into the air as it gave a roar of power.

"Sheer Cold?! Palkia! Dodge by tearing a portal and escape to another dimension! Then come back a two seconds later!" Mustang desperately yelled.

Palkia swung it's arm, opening a purple portal. But it was too late. Kyogre released it's freezing blast and gave a roar as the below zero blizzard enveloped Palkia. Ice encased the Dragon/Water-type pokémon and soon after broke away, causing Palkia to use all of it's energy.

The dragon fell to the ground and stayed still once the blizzard had passed.

"No! Mustang!!" Abigail called, trying to rush forward and grab onto Mustang. Luckily Emma stopped her from doing so, following the things Mustang had asked her to do.

"Palkia is unable to battle!" Ace said sadly. "Renaldo wins..."

Mustang fell to his knees as he saw Palkia laying on the ground, unconscious. Mustang was at a loss of words for the blow Kyogre had just dealt. The words of Renaldo rang in his head as he sat there. "If I win, you come back with me to Tanuki quietly."

"Well! I won. Come on, Ranger. We have people expecting us. Call your Palkia back so we can get going!" Renaldo said coldly.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Mustang stood up, his head hanging down. He raised his right arm and pressed the small button on the metal ball that acted as a home for Palkia. A red light shot from the button and absorbed Palkia. The beam of red reeled back into the orange ball. Once it was completely gone, Mustang clicked the ball onto his belt.

Renaldo smirked. "Good. Now, give your pokémon, cell phone, and pokétch to your friends so we can head to H.Q."

Mustang took the six small balls to Abigail, his cell phone to Ace, and his pokétch to Emma. "I'll be back. I promise." He said as he hugged each of them. "Oh... And Abigail? Don't let them out until I get back..." Mustang turned away and slowly walked down the street with Renaldo.

Abigail's eyes teared up and she began crying as Emma and Ace hugged her from both sides, each of them wearing a sad face...

* * *

Well that was honestly hard to write! I'm not good at writing sad stuff... Chapter twelve should be up tomorrow night at around the same time. Night! Also, the same reward that was given to OvErLoRd is being handed out to anyone new that reviews this chapter. So get reviewing!


	12. 12: Intruders

Well I just can't seem to stay away from writing now. Seriously, I'm writing so much that it's kinda affecting my grades. So if the fic doesn't get updated as nearly as often, it's because I am getting my life in balance, not because I died or something. That's partially why this chapter took a bit longer than I had told you.

Well thanks to everyone who reviewed! It sounds like I'm making this a success with unexpected events. Also, this is the chapter where you get to see that pokémon in action, OvErLoRd.

Hope you all enjoy the twelfth segment of The Rise of Mustang!

* * *

Last Chapter:

On the way back from Gateway Colosseum, Renaldo, a man working for Tanuki Evans, confronts Mustang in a battle. There is a bet between Mustang and Renaldo that is Mustang wins, Renaldo leaves and doesn't bother them again. If Renaldo wins, Mustang goes with him without resistance. Renaldo defeats Mustang in the battle and Mustang does as the conditions say: go without resistance.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

The Rise of Mustang Chapter 12: Intruders

* * *

Tanuki - Age 18

Conor - Age 16

Evelyn - Age 16

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

Mustang awoke. Everything around him was dark except for an old light bulb that was dimly lit. That light bulb hung above him, only lighting his body. Mustang could feel his hands and feet were chained up to the metal chair he was sitting in. Mustang shivered as he noticed his hosts hadn't been very kind in not giving him a blanket or anything in the cold room.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Mustang called out. He could see his hot breath meeting the chilled air. Suddenly, Mustang heard footsteps.

"So. You're awake." A voice chuckled.

'It's him...' Mustang thought to himself. "Good to see you too, _Tanuki_. Now why don't you turn on the lights so we can talk face to face." He spat.

"I'm glad you recognized my voice after all these seventeen months." A cold laugh echoed through the air. "Well, hosts _are_ supposed to welcome all of their guest's wants and needs. Turn on the lights. "Tanuki ordered.

Mustang heard a large lever being pulled. Seconds later, the room lit up with the lights flickering on.

Mustang looked left and right. There were about twenty muscular men and women aged from eighteen to twenty years old. All had malicious smirks on their faces as they looked at Mustang. There were a few people Mustang recognized, but most were unknown.

Tanuki continued talking but Mustang couldn't see him. "We had a hard time finding you." Mustang could tell Tanuki was somewhere in front of him in the still unlit portion of the room. "But you shouldn't have left us. Team Galactic paid us handsomely for our work. However, you defeated them... _Luckily_, this does not affect The Tails."

Mustang bit his lower lip. "What do you want from me?" Mustang asked, although already knowing the answer.

Tanuki chuckled. "Your battling skills along with your catching skills and finally your athletic skills. You are very talented and worth more than just a shiny penny." He explained. "Turn on my light." Tanuki motioned towards Renaldo, who was standing at the doorway to the room which was about fifteen feet away.

Renaldo smirked devilishly and pulled down a lever next to a larger one, which was already in the on position. Mustang turned back to where Tanuki was and saw the light to the indent in the wall turn on.

Tanuki sat on a very expensive looking couch. He had short dark brown hair which stayed mostly off his face except for the red cleft moving from the right side of his forehead and continuing over to the left. Mustang could see that he was about six feet tall. He was very tan and thin. However his muscles looked to be pretty strong. The eighteen year old wore a denim jacket with the sleeves ripped off along with jean shorts. Tanuki had brown eyes mixed in with a bit of red and from what Mustang could tell, Tanuki was barefoot. Finally, over his right hand, he wore a fingerless red glove.

"You haven't changed much." Mustang said, looking over Tanuki's form.

Tanuki chuckled. "Aye. You have on the other hand. You've cleaned yourself up and changed your clothing. But that can't hide who you really are, Mustang_ Evans_." Everyone gave a cruel laugh as Tanuki said Mustang's name.

Mustang shook the chair violently. "Do _not_ use that name!" He shouted. "I redeemed myself and changed my last name, _brother_." Mustang spat on the floor as he finished.

The entire room went dead silent. Tanuki's smile disappeared as he stood up slowly from the comfortable sofa. "I may not have you working for The Tail's anymore, but I _will_ see to it that you will always remember this day..." Tanuki's eyes became red as all the brown in them disappeared.

Tanuki reached for a poké ball on his belt. Just then, the locked metal door behind Mustang burst open and went flying towards Tanuki as Mustang ducked from the explosion. Tanuki dived out of the way as the door slammed into the couch, breaking it into several different pieces. He got up and saw the damage. His eyes turned a blood red as he became enraged by the intrusion.

There was still smoke and dust whirling in the air around the busted doorway. Mustang craned his neck to see what was going on. Two silhouettes appeared in the smoke, one large and the other smaller.

"Good work Tread." said a familiar voice. The smaller silhouette walked forward through the entry way, followed by the larger one.

Mustang was shocked to see that it was someone he knew. Evelyn came behind Mustang slowly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Sorry it took so long. Also sorry for not actually meeting you for real. However, this is not the time and place for that." A large Tyranitar came up closely behind Evelyn, acting as her bodyguard.

Evelyn changed her look towards Tanuki. "So, Tanuki Evans. Would you like to have me save you the trouble of being defeated so I may take Mustang back to his friends and home or shall we have a battle to see who gets him?"

Tanuki's eyes changed back to a red and brown mix color. He was like his brother, easily drawn in by betting and risks. "... I am not willing to give him up so easily. Let's battle. One pokémon each and you'll be fighting me only, not anyone else. Defeat me, and he leaves with you without a word from us. If _I_ win, you leave quietly and you tell no one of where we are or that we have him."

¤₪In the girls' complex₪¤

Abigail's sore eyes opened. 'Have I been crying?' Suddenly, all of last night's memories came back to her, flooding her mind. Abigail started weeping as she thought about Mustang and how she may never see him again.

Emma was awakened by Abigail's sobs and Emma instantly knew why her dear friend was crying. "Sshhh, it's okay. Mustang will be fine." Emma tried convincing Abigail but also herself. She walked over to Abigail and sat down next to her. Emma wrapped her arm around Abigail's shoulders.

This just made Abigail cry harder as she heard Emma's words. "But what if **sniff** he isn't?!" Abigail almost shouted between her sobs. The young woman buried her face in her palms, crying harder.

Emma smiled. "You know, Mustang would want you be brave right now. Come now, let's have you be a big girl and forget about him for now." Emma hoped that would satisfy her friend.

Abigail stopped crying as she heard what her best friend had just said. "**Sigh**... You're right... Let's go grab Ace..."

¤₪In the boys' complex₪¤

Ace smiled as he watched the television screen. "I am _so_ glad I decided to have Conor and Evelyn do this job!" He said to himself.

§§Flashback§§

"Hey, Conor... Mustang's been kidnapped..." Ace said into the phone.

Conor gasped. "Really? By who? Give me details," he said calmly.

"Well, it's by a gang called The Tails. A young man by the name of Renaldo came and took Mustang after defeating him in a battle." Ace explained.

Ace heard a chuckle from Conor. "Turn on your television and turn the channel until you see a display that is called 'CAMERA 4' and watch it." And with that, Conor hung up.

Ace turned the phone off and walked over to the flat screen TV. "So let's see... Turn the channel to camera four..." Ace muttered to himself. When the correct display setting came up, Ace fell backwards.

There, on the screen, was Conor and Evelyn. "Morning!" Conor said, waving his hand above his head.

"Conor and Evelyn? What the heck are you two doing on my screen?!" Ace asked.

Surprisingly, Evelyn responded to the question. "We don't have much time. We'll explain later," she said.

"Erm, okay?" Ace sat down on the couch, a bit confused.

It was Conor's turn to speak. "Look. Evelyn and I are going to rescue Mustang. We know where The Tails' is located."

Ace was puzzled at this information. "Really? Well, whatever. Just hurry. He has his challenge at Waterfall Colosseum at ten o'clock. And this could girl be kinda pissed if you don't hurry." Ace explained to the couple.

"We will have him back at nine thirty at the latest. Now listen, I'm going to be attaching a microscopic camera to Evelyn's shirt and another to mine. You will see the video they both pick up on your television, however they do not have sound. Well, we're off now." Conor explained as him and Evelyn walked off the screen.

§§End flashback§§

On the top half of the screen, Ace saw Mustang chained up to a chair in large room with a lot of other people around the sides of the room. A boy that looked to be sixteen years old was in the center of the screen. He appeared to be talking because his mouth was moving however there was no sound to the video.

On the bottom half, Ace saw a Tyranitar named Tread follow Evelyn through the smoking entryway.

"This is just like a movie!" Ace exclaimed, but still knowing his friends were in danger.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "Oh? I wonder who that could be..." Ace stood up and walked over to the door before finally opening it.

Two young women were standing outside the doorway. "Hey Ace... Can we come in? We kinda need someone to comfort us..." Emma said.

Abigail had her head hung low and she had an empty look in her eyes. Ace saw this and became immediately concerned. "Come on in and take a seat in the living room by the TV," he said.

The two girls walked in and saw what was on the screen. Abigail was shocked. "Is? Is that? Mustang...?" She asked in an utterly confused tone.

Ace nodded and smiled. "Sure is," the young man sat down in his previous spot on the couch. "Just watch though."

¤₪Back The Tails H.Q.₪¤

Mustang was honestly scared. He was being put on the line for good this time.

"I accept your challenge, Tanuki. You're a wanted criminal and I _will_ save my friend." Evelyn said bravely.

Tanuki smirked. "Have your friend in the hallway come in."

Evelyn went wide-eyed. 'How did he know he was there?!' Evelyn asked herself in her mind.

Conor proceeded into the quiet room with caution. "Good. Now, move Mustang out of the way so the battle may commence," Tanuki ordered. "Also, nobody give any of our guests trouble. Renaldo, act as our referee. And even if I am about to lose, call the shots fairly."

Conor walked over to Mustang and grabbed the chair, moving it to the side of the room. The gang members moved aside reluctantly, obeying their boss' orders. Renaldo walked to the side of the room and stationed himself between the two competitors.

Evelyn spoke up. "I'm using Tread in this battle."

Tanuki smiled devilishly. "Very well. I will be using my Sandslash, Whiplash." Tanuki reached into his pocket and took out a poké ball. "Go, Whiplash!" Tanuki threw the red and white ball in front of himself.

An armadillo with sharp spikes protruding from it's back appeared out of the swirling light of the ball. The brown creature had very long claws that shot out from the end of it's arms.

Evelyn smiled confidently. "Well, go on, Tread. Show that rodent who's boss."

The green dinosaur-like pokémon walked forward. With each step, the ground shook slightly. "Ty! RAAANNN!!!" Tread roared.

Tanuki was the first to move. "Whiplash, use Dig!" The Sandslash jumped in the air and aimed downward. Whiplash slashed it's arms furiously as it hit the ground, causing dust to fly everywhere. Once the dust cleared, only a hole was to be seen and Whiplash was gone.

Evelyn smirked. "Perfect. Tread, use Earthquake!" Tanuki's eyes went wide with fear as he realized the trap he was in. Tread raised his right leg off the ground. Suddenly, he slammed it back down on the floor with great force, causing the ground to shake violently.

Cries could be heard from inside the hole Whiplash was in as everything trembled. Mustang understood perfectly what was happening. "The vibrations and shaking is twice as bad in that hole compared to up here! It must be doing a ton of damage to that Sandslash!" He exclaimed.

Once the vibrations had completely subsided, Whiplash had survived the attack. The creature continued burrowing in it's hole at high speed as it headed straight for the Tyranitar. Tread felt the movements in the earth but couldn't get out of the way in time as Whiplash shot out of the ground and slashed all along Tread's armored body. However the armor only reduced the attack's power as the claws made contact with his body.

Evelyn smirked. "Well this has been fun, Tanuki! Tread! Use Rock Slide!" Tread let loose a roar as it was given the order. The intensity from the roar caused the roof to shake. The foundation in the roof gave way above Sandslash and rocks from the cement ceiling fell on top of the pokémon, burying it.

"NO!" Tanuki shouted as he saw his beloved pokémon disappear underneath the rubble.

Just when everyone thought the Sandslash was gone for good, Whiplash popped out of a hole in the ground and then sprawled out onto the ground, unconscious.

Renaldo wasn't sure whether or not to call the battle. "Whiplash is! ... Unable to battle..." Renaldo sputtered in disappointment.

Tanuki didn't care about the outcome of the battle but only cared for his pokémon at this point. He ran forward and returned the Sandslash back to it's pokéball. The entire room was silent as they watched The Tails Boss, trying to figure out what he would do.

Tanuki raised his head. "Go," he said emotionlessly as he tossed a key at Mustang's feet.

Conor knelt down and picked up the small metal object. He then stuck the notched end into the key holes of the shackles that were binding Mustang. Once free, Mustang stood up and Conor did the same.

Evelyn had already exited the silent room along with Tread. Mustang and Conor took their leave as well.

¤₪Back with Ace, Emma, and Abigail₪¤

"What? Tanuki's just... Letting them go?" Ace said, confused. The girls were just as confused as Ace was.

"I guess so," Emma said. "But I'm not going to complain about it." Her friends agreed with her reasoning.

Abigail was almost crying with joy now. "Well that was _the_ longest night of my life! I'm so happy he's coming home to us again!"

Ace and Emma laughed at her enormous amount of enthusiasm. "Ha ha ha! Well at least you _had_ a roommate last night!" Ace exclaimed.

¤₪Back with Mustang, Conor, and Evelyn₪¤

Mustang trailed behind Conor and Evelyn as they held hands. The three friends were about two blocks away from the complex.

"Hey, thanks guys. I don't know what Tanuki would have done with me if you two hadn't shown up..." Mustang trailed off. "Wait. How'd you know where I was?" Mustang asked.

Conor sighed and looked over at Evelyn, who was looking back at him. "I guess we should tell him, right Ev?" Conor said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Evelyn replied.

"Well," Conor started. "Mustang you should know that once I tell you this, Evelyn and I will have to leave Pokétopia for a very long time. It's fine by us since we're leaving soon anyways, but this will just make our departure closer. Should I tell you anyways?" Conor explained to Mustang.

Mustang thought out the situation for a couple seconds. He finally decided. "Yes, I would very much like to know."

The couple took a deep breath as Conor began their story. "Well, Evelyn and I are secret agents for the H.R.P.F. which stands for the Hanu Region Police Force..."

Mustang was shocked to hear this, but Conor continued explaining. "All of the agents are young kids, like us. It's the last thing baddies would expect." Mustang was a little confused, but understood the main concept.

Now it was Evelyn's turn to talk. "You see, Ace called Conor on his cell around six thirty this morning saying you had been kidnapped by The Tails. So, being agents, Conor and I went to help you. We got some intelligence from headquarters and then went to rescue you. The force has already deployed a police squad to deal with The Tails. So now do you understand?" Evelyn finished.

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks guys," Mustang said. "I really appreciate it. Oh and don't worry, I won't go blabbing to anyone about your little secret."

Conor and Evelyn chuckled. "Thanks. Now we gotta go." Evelyn said. The couple started walking away when Conor said something to Evelyn. She smiled and kept on walking while Conor headed back to where Mustang was standing.

"Hey, it's been a real pleasure knowing you, bro. Feel free to call us anytime. Oh and good luck with Abigail and Colosseum Challenge!" Conor winked before running back to Evelyn's side.

Mustang sighed as he saw his two friends turn down a street and walk out of view. "I sure am going to miss them..." He said to himself. "But time for me to return home."

Mustang walked across the street and into the complex building.

* * *

Finally! I'm done with this chapter! So how about those giant twists? If I say so myself, I did quite well with the plot in this chapter. Anyways, **REVIEW**, my readers! Thanks for reading! Bye!


	13. Follow on Twitter!

Hey everyone. Sorry for the delay of chapter thirteen. I'm having some trouble with it. Anyways, I made a Twitter for this fanfiction! I will be updating it at least once a week telling you how the progress is going. So follow us at RiseofMustang for the latest news!

Another thing. I have been having a REALLY hard time with inspiration. But I may have found a solution. I would like to battle my readers or anyone that has Battle Revolution. Just email me at theriseofmustang*gmail*com [but change the first * to the "at" symbol and the second * to a period (stupid site)] giving me the friend code(s) and I'll get back to you within two days or less. You will be fighting Mustang's team, if you are wondering. So you'd really be helping me out if we battled.

Well thanks for reading this announcement. I appreciate it.


	14. 13: Honest Path

I have to say, I really owe Arcanegears, OvErLoRd Darkspine, and Redworthy. Within two hours of posting chapter 12, all three of them had reviewed. So just a "thanks" to you guys!!

Well I have decided something. Every nine chapters, I will be taking a break from The Rise of Mustang. I can't get enough inspiration to write very fast. So consider this the second "season", you might say, to this fic. Obviously, once I get to the eighteenth chapter, I will disappear for a bit. Sorry if this is disappointing, but it will help keep me interested in writing this. There is also some good news to this. You see, I'm starting another fic soon. This one will be based off of Pokémon Colosseum. I haven't seen a single Colosseum story on ANY site so I'd love to do one. It will basically be the third game in that series. As you may have predicted, I will be switching off from fanfic to fanfic as I take breaks from both of these stories. So that one should have it's first chapter up a couple days after this season is finished up.

Well I have some news... My best friend, the one that Ace is based off, has decided to quit playing Pokémon since the school year has started and more/better games are coming out. So that's partially why I haven't gotten much inspiration lately and why I'm having a hard time writing this chapter. I also think Ace's personality change is linked to my friend's leave of the Pokémon world. But oh well. I have come up with a temporary solution to attempt to solve this dilemma, however. You may have read it in the announcement I made on October 5th. I am challenging all my readers and anyone else they know that has Battle Revolution to a battle. So shoot me an email at theriseofmustang*gmail*com [but change the first * to the "at" symbol and the second * to a period (stupid site)] giving me the friend code(s) and I'll get back to you within a day or two. Well I hope this works...

Wow. That was pretty long. Thanks for reading it though. Those are pretty important announcements, I think. Well, onto chapter thirteen! Please review once you are finished reading! Also... I have been considering this for awhile, but I am bringing two more characters, they might be kind of minor (I'm not sure yet), into the fic. But that's only for two new reviewers. So review, my oh-so-silent readers!!

* * *

Last Chapter:

Mustang has been taken to The Tails hideout. Mustang's name isn't really Mustang Ranger and Tanuki is his brother. Ace calls Conor to tell him Mustang has been taken. Conor and Evelyn go to the hideout and rescue Mustang. Mustang then learns Conor and Evelyn aren't just kids, their undercover agents for the Hanu Region Police Force. Conor and Evelyn must leave Pokétopia since they've blown their cover, even if it did bring good.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

The Rise of Mustang Chapter 13: Honest Path

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

Mustang walked down the hall towards his room. As he got closer, Mustang could hear what sounded to be like a small party. Once Mustang arrived outside of room 14, he heard Ace's voice along with Abigail's and Emma's.

Mustang smiled as he heard his friend's laughter. He knocked on the door and the room almost instantly became silent except for Abigail's barely audible "It's him!" Mustang waited for a second until he heard Ace's voice.

"Who is it?" Ace asked normally.

Mustang chuckled. "The pizza man! Who the heck do you think it is?" Mustang heard laughter from inside the room.

"I'm gonna need some identification, sir," Ace said in an old western cowboy accent. Abigail and Emma giggled.

"Ha ha, very funny," Mustang said sarcastically. "Will ya just lemme in?" Mustang heard the locks turn and the door opened.

Abigail bolted out the door and embraced Mustang tightly. Mustang was surprised at first but then hugged the young woman back.

Emma stood in the doorway watching the reunion and smiling. Ace came beside here and put his arm around her shoulders. Emma smiled wider at this and rested her body on Ace's.

Abigail had tears of joy falling onto Mustang's jacket, wetting the shoulder. "We thought we'd lost you, but I'm so happy you're back!"

Mustang had so much happiness inside of him, a tear of pure bliss fell from his face. "I didn't think I'd be coming back at all..."

Mustang then released Abigail and took a step back. "Guys," he began. "I need to tell yo my _real_ past... We have about an hour before I'm supposed to be at the colosseum to right now would be good..."

Ace and the girls exchanged a confused face with one another. "Erm, okay. Let's go into the living room," Ace said before leading Emma and Abigail inside with Mustang following closely. Mustang hung his head low, due to how nervous he was.

The girls and Ace sat down on the white couch while Mustang sat in the black chair next to the couch. Mustang took a deep sigh. "Well... I haven't been honest to you about my past, Ace and Abby... Emma, this will be the first time you've heard my past, but also the real version..."

Abigail and Ace had their mouths open slightly in shock from what they had heard. Mustang continued on. "Tanuki is my older brother by three years... Our last name is Evans..." This time, all three friends' mouths dropped. Mustang saw their reaction and winced.

Despite how much he didn't want to tell the rest of his story, Mustang kept going after sighing once again. "Tanuki wasn't always cold hearted... He used to watch out for me and care about others. There was one day when I was nine years old while Tanuki was twelve that neither of us will forget... We had been sent to a week long camp during the summer at the Pokémon School in Jubilife city... When we returned home, we found that the front door was unlocked."

The girls and Ace looked at each other with puzzled expressions, trying to figure out how this was important. "We walked into our house, everything was gone... I grabbed Tanuki's arm, a little scared... He didn't look down, but just tensed up and had a very stern scowl... We walked into the room where the kitchen was and we found a single thing on the table; a note from our parents... I'll never forget what it said..."

Abigail could tell where this was going and had a very hurt look on her face. "Mustang..." She whispered.

Mustang didn't hear and continued on. "Boys," the note began. "We have decided to leave you two forever and go someplace you'll never find us. We don't know what you'll do, but we don't really care. See ya." A tear of sadness fell from Mustang's face as he remembered the note. That tear was soon followed by others...

Abigail had had enough of the tension and stood up. Mustang stopped his crying and looked up, astonished by her abruptness. Emma and Ace stared up at her, as well. She didn't have a look of anger on her face, but she was actually _smiling_. "That's enough for today," she said. "You can tell us the rest tomorrow. Now go on! Get ready to fight the Waterfall Colosseum! We'll have breakfast ready by the time you're all ready and dressed in clean clothes."

Mustang looked at her a little longer, feeling nothing but pure sincerity and kindness coming from her. He looked at Ace and Emma, and they too were looking at him the same way Abigail was. Ace nodded slightly. Mustang smiled and walked over to the purple haired girl, hugging her tightly before heading to the bathroom.

¤₪20 minutes later₪¤

Mustang was dressed in a black jacket with silver stripes running up the sleeves with pants to match. The jacket was unzipped and a blue, light weight shirt lay underneath. Atop his head was a navy blue Pokétopia beret. Pinned on the jacket where Mustang's heart was, there was a silver pin with a P engraved on it. There were very nice shades clipped to the shirt and on the young man's face right below each eye, was a small black triangle pointing downwards. **(A.N.: If you battle me, you will see the outfit. Mustang is wearing it on my game.)**

Mustang walked down the hall and smelled rice cooking. As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw Abigail at the stove with an apron on and holding a pan over the burners with her right arm. Mustang came up behind her silently and wrapped his arms around her hips and the young man kissed her cheek lightly. "Thank you. For everything." Mustang said before releasing her.

Abigail giggled before responding to the affection he had just given her. "You are very welcome," she said, not turning around, but continuing to cook. Mustang sat down at the counter on a stool. "Ace and Emma are out of the balcony. Will you go tell them breakfast is ready?"

"Oh, yeah! Thanks for that by the way," he yelled as he walked to the balcony. The door was open and Mustang could see the two leaning into each other while looking over the sea. Ace had his arm around Emma's waist and she was leaning against him gently.

Mustang chuckled and the young couple heard him and they broke apart, blushing madly. "You two done yet? Breakfast is ready," he laughed again before going back to sit at the counter. His bowl of fried rice and surprisingly some sugar sprinkled on top was sitting in front of him along with a pair of chopsticks sticking into the rice. A glass of milk sat next to the bowl and the other three spots where his friends would be sitting were set the same way. Abigail finished up washing her hands and sat down next to Mustang, smiling at him. Mustang smiled back before taking a bite of the rice.

It tasted very refreshing with the way the sugar mixed with the vegetables and ham squares. Mustang swallowed and looked at Abigail, who was looking at him expectantly and hopefully. "Abigail! It tastes amazing!" Mustang said to her before taking another bite.

"Oh! I thought you might like it," she exclaimed before starting to eat her own meal.

As Mustang was eating, he noticed Ace and Emma come in out of the corner of his eye. As he chewed, Ace walked by and punched Mustang in the arm lightly, making Mustang chuckle and almost choke on his food.

"I'm going to get you for that later, bro." Mustang told him playfully.

Ace laughed. "Sure you will."

* * *

Sorry that was so short for it being delayed like it was! I had honestly planned out this giant thing for it, but I realized it wouldn't work out. So sorry for the blandness of this chapter. And I was kind of weirded out by that note the boys' parents left them. It was kinda dark but almost too much "to the point" if you get what I'm trying to say. Oh well. Please review everyone! Thanks! Be sure to follow us on Twitter at RiseofMustang, too!


	15. STAFF WANTED

Shoot... Well, I'm assuming some of you are a bit ticked at me for not having the chapter even halfway done yet... But I have many reasons as to why. First off, some may lie about their reasons on here, but I am honest - I'm lazy.

Now secondly, I've been working on the new fic, The Armorian Battles. Yes, it is out way early. However, I have discovered a lot of ways to do this fic along with that one... I'm making a trilogy. The Rise of Mustang is the first, The Armorian Battles will be last. I'm putting off the second until I'm DONE with The Rise of Mustang, which I plan to end between thirty and thirty-five chapters in length. So we still have quite a ways to go.

Thirdly, I have to do research for the fic. Research as in me actually doing the battles myself on the game for accurate results. I've been doing that for every chapter, in case you guys didn't know.

Finally, I was almost complete with the chapter about three weeks ago. However, my mom went through the email and deleted the note which I wrote the chapter in. I have an iMac so I have been using the Notes ability on the Mail application to write all of the chapters.

However, I think I have come up with a solution to how long the story is taking to update! I have recently been going through some fics on here and I noticed that a lot of them have multiple writers, or a "staff" if you want to call it that. I realized how helpful this could be and I have decided to form my own staff with The Rise of Mustang. What you basically do in this staff, is you write the next chapter for the fanfic. Send it to me in an email at theriseofmustang[at], and I'll go through and make any changes I see fit to it. I will give you the credit for writing the chapter when it gets published. However, to be able to have your chapter eligible, you must be part of the staff. Here's how you get in:

¤ Send me a short story that is no more than three thousand words long. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE.

¤ I will read it over to decide if your writing style will work for The Rise of Mustang.

¤ I will get back to you between two to three days giving you my answer.

So it's fairly simple. And let's be honest, this is for the good of the story. However, if you get in and I feel you are not doing a good enough job or just not doing it at all, I will remove you from the staff. I don't mean to be rude, but I do not like people wasting my time seeing as I can do that myself.

Anyways, I hope a lot of you try to get in. Also, follow us on Twitter at RiseofMustang. And if you don't have a Twitter, we have a FaceBook. Not exactly a fanpage (I don't know how to create one. Any help would be extremely nice), but hey, it works. The name is Mustang Ranger for FB so you can go there for updates. It will be the Mustang Ranger with the Azelf as the profile picture.

Well, I'm expecting big things from my future staff, so get to work!


	16. 14: Marina

Ooookay... This chapter is _**WAY**_ overdue... Sorry about that. You know my reasons as to why it was late. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I hope to be a lot less lazy next time.

* * *

Last Chapter:

Mustang returns to his friends and tells them part of his real past.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 14: Marina

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

Mustang opened his eyes as he took a deep breath, his mint green hair swaying slightly in the breeze. The purple light that was positioned around himself and his friends disappeared.

Abigail silently returned Alakazam to his pokéball before turning to Mustang. "I see you learned your lesson in teleportation," she giggled. Ace and Emma laughed with her.

Mustang smiled. How could he forget? "Hey I just don't particularly like being awoken with a giant Exploud..."

His comment pulled another laugh from his friends. Mustang just rolled his eyes and smiled. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

(A.N.: Okay, sorry. This transition might be a bit weird, but just try to deal with it... At least it got the chapter out sooner.)

Mustang took in a deep breath as the roaring of the crowd grew louder as the elevator reached the top of the shaft.

'Power... I am _power_,' he thought, adrenaline beginning to course through his veins. Mustang's emerald eyes shone as the eyelids covering them shot open a millisecond before the elevator stopped. As he thought of the past six battles, a confident smile formed on his mouth.

Mustang's first battle had gone flawlessly, the trainer not even landing an attack on him. The second, a small attack had hit Palkia. The four battles afterwards had all notched up in difficulty slightly. However Mustang conquered them with ease.

Now it was four in the afternoon and the mint haired boy was set on defeating the Waterfall Colosseum Leader, Marina. As Mustang made his way to his position on the field, a silvery-blue haired girl that looked to be about the age of Emma ran out onto her position on the arena.

"Sorry I'm late! I'm Marina," the young woman panted. Marina wore completely blue clothes, including a helmet. However each article of clothing had red lines running through them along with some white splotches, giving her the appearance of a Kyogre. Her eyes were colored a deep red, as well.

Mustang waved his hand in the air gracefully, dismissing her lateness. "Don't worry about it. Why don't we give these people a show?"

Marina's eyes sparkled as she admired his eagerness. "Totally!" But don't expect me to go easy on you!"

"I was just about to say the same thing," Mustang said, a very excited smile sprawled across his face.

Marina reached behind her and pulled two red and white metal orbs from her belt. The one on the right erupted into a stupendous light when it the ground, the other ball following it.

'Let's see what she's got...' Mustang thought to himself as he watched the light with anticipation.

The light faded as a brown bird holding a green root appeared in place of the pokéball. From the sphere on the left, a small, blue and white mouse with large ears materialized.

Mustang chuckled and quietly said to himself "this'll be fun... A Farfetch'd and a Marill." The young man reached towards both sides of his hips with each of his hands, grabbing two metal spheres. Mustang laughed happily to himself as he threw them both to their positions.

From the ball on the right, a very large, ghostly dragon appeared. It's wings were stained the color of jet black with three red spikes protruding from the front of each one. The dragon's eyes matched the color of the spikes and were on the face of a giant yellow head. It's body was gray and stood upon six legs as if it were a caterpillar. Giratina was the ominous creature's name.

Like it's partner, another dragon appeared, this one just as big. This dragon's name was known as Palkia, the Spatial Pokémon. Palkia had a pink body with lines of a dark pink running throughout it. It's wings were fairly average and divided into three segments.

Spade's voice boomed overhead. "Let the match begin!"

Giratina had the first move. "Giratina! Use Thunder on Farfetch'd," Mustang yelled to his friend. Giratina let out a roar, flaring out it's wings. No more then a second later, a very intense bolt of electricity shot out of the sky, perfectly hitting Farfetch'dm, who tried dodging but to no avail.

The plainly colored duck fell to the ground with it's wings sprawled out. Farfetch'd was unconscious, knocking out it's ability to fight.

Marina bit her lip and reluctantly called the pokémon back to it's pokéball. However, she struck swiftly with the blue water mouse. "Marill, use Brick Break on Palkia!" Marill concentrated it's power as it ran towards the large dragon, a determined expression written on the small pokémon's face.

"Palkia, dodge at the last second and use Spacial Rend," Mustang told Palkia. Marill, being quite small, took it's time getting to the Water/Dragon Type. When it pulled back it's arm to launch the attack, Palkia sidestepped at an almost blurring speed while slashing a purple arm at Marill.

The Aqua Mouse Pokémon took a large amount of damage from the attack, but not enough to knock it out. However Giratina made fast work of that and stomped one of it's large feet on the earth beneath it, using Earth Power. Marill fell on it's round stomach, exhausted and unable to fight.

"And Mustang wins round one! We'll now take a five minute break to let the trainer's think over the battle," Spade exclaimed.

¤₪In the stands₪¤

"Mustang put little to no effort in that battle," Emma said to her friends.

Ace agreed. "Yeah, I know. He's really doing well today. You know, I'm not sure exactly why he left Sinnoh. On the airship to Pokétopia, he said he left because he wasn't that great of a battler. So he came here to start over."

"You know, I don't think that's the real reason. I suspect it has something to do with his brother and his past..." Abigail trailed off, looking a bit sad and her head dropping slightly.

Emma took notice of her best friend's sorrow and decided to try and cheer her up. "Yeah, but he is now the Mustang we all know and love. Besides, he'll most likely tell us the real reason why he came here tonight when he finishes explaining everything over dinner."

Abigail lifted her head after pondering Emma's words. She smiled before responding with one word: true.

Spade's voice rung throughout the colosseum once again. "We will now commence with round two! If Mustang Ranger wins this, folks, he will have cleared his second colosseum."

Abigail watched contently as Mustang walked to his position once again, Marina doing the same. "I hope you've thought out a better strategy, Marina," Mustang taunted the blue haired girl.

Marina smirked. "And I hope you did the same, Ranger!" The young woman reached at the front of her belt and retrieved two more pokéballs, tossing them to her side of the battlefield.

A Ground Type Wormadam and Aipom appeared from the two, small balls. Mustang's spirits dropped a little when he saw the two pokémon. This was the team he hadn't hoped to see.

Regardless, Mustang tossed out his two metal pokéballs, Azeli and Scizoro emerging from them as they made contact with the ground. Although Mustang wasn't going to have the advantage in this battle, he luckily had the two fastest pokémon of his team out.

Azeli started off the battle by obeying Mustang's command. "Azeli! Use Extrasensory on Aipom!" Azeli closed it's eyes as it started to power up it's mental attack.

Marina's eyes widened. Azeli was going to get a harder hit since Extrasensory was Psychic Type, matching Azeli's type. "Aipom! Use your tail to jump high in the air!" Aipom smashed it's tail onto the ground and jumped as the tail pressed into the soil beneath it. But it wasn't any use. Azeli finished charging it's attack and opened it's eyes, just as Aipom was only about three feet above the ground, level with Azeli's eyes. There was no sound from Azeli as it launched it's invisible attack through the air. Aipom's purple body jerked harshly upwards before slamming into the ground, a ring of dust and dirt flew up as it made contact with the hard earth.

The crowd gasped as this took place. It was a hard hit. Marina stood there in shock, not a word coming from her lips.

"Whoa... That was pretty instense," Abigail whispered to herself as the arena fell quiet. To be honest, she didn't know Azeli had that kind of power. For something so small, it sure was brutal. Mustang must have trained Azeli to be at it's full potential to do something like that.

The purple monkey lay face down for a good minute. Miraculously however, Aipom struggled to stand up. It was clear it didn't have more than a sliver of it's life left, but it was still able to battle, nonetheless.

Scizoro finished it off before it had the chance to attack. "Scizoro... Use Air Slash," Mustang hung his head as he gave the order. 'How can I...? I can't just attack a poor, defenseless pokémon...' Mustang thought. 'But perhaps it was a good thing. To let a pokémon rest rather than have it struggle to fight.'

Spade's voice snapped Mustang out of his thoughts. "Oh, and Scizoro goes down due to Wormadam's Rock Blast!"

Mustang's eyes widened as he gasped, raising his head to see what had happened. Aipom was gone from the colosseum. Wormadam was the only pokémon left of Marina's. Mustang's eyes scanned the ground to find a large green mass laying a few feet away. Scizoro had been knocked out.

"Ugh, I have to keep focused," Mustang muttered to himself angrily. The mint haired young man called the Scyther back to it's pokéball. Mustang raised his head, a fiery determination shone in his eyes.

Abigail was a little worried when she saw this from the monitors as the cameras zoomed in to show Mustang's face. It was a look of determined victory and anger. She had never seen her near boyfriend _this_ angry.

Marina knew the battle was about to end as Mustang gave the command to Azeli to use Water Pulse on Wormadam. She didn't tell her pokémon to try and dodge. She just let it happen.

A large disk of water slammed into Wormadam at full force, instantly knocking out the Bug/Ground Type pokémon as it made contact. Wormadam dropped like a rock to the hard surface of the colosseum's ground, water still dripping from it's body.

The crowd erupted into a roar of applause and happy shouts as Marina called Wormadam back to it's pokéball. "Mustang Ranger has defeated Waterfall Colosseum! Congratulations, my boy," Spade's voice boomed over the colosseum.

* * *

Mustang sat on a bench underneath the colosseum in the training room, his face buried in his hands. The teen sighed and a purple haired girl wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "Look, you won," Abigail said. "There's nothing to be angry or sad about. Or whatever mood you're in."

"Abby's right, Mustang," Emma agreed.

Ace stood next to Emma, his arm wrapped around her waist. "You did great out there. Can we just go eat now?" Emma stood on his foot, causing him to release her. Ace looked at the brunette with a 'what-did-I-do?!' look. She just gave him a look that had "you know what you did" written all over it.

As the two silently fought, Mustang stood up, leaving Abigail on the bench. "I'm not sad. I'm just mad at myself for causing Scizoro to get knocked out that easily in the battle. I wasn't paying attention to give him the command to try and dodge that attack, which he could've." Mustang sighed again. "Let's just go eat. I think everyone's gone."

The four silently walked out the large, sliding metal doors and down the neon lit street.

* * *

Whew, that took forever to get this chapter out! I can't believe I did most of that in one hour! Just goes to show how lazy I can be (which might explain the grades. Don't tell my parents! Oh wait, they already know...). Well guys, I know some of you just might want to shoot me for taking so long to update. But I guess I deserve it.

I felt like I made Mustang kind of a baby in this while I made Azeli a freaking war machine. Then again, Azelf is my best pokémon on my team. Speaking of which, I'm still looking for battles on Battle Revolution. Just email us at theriseofmustang[at] giving me a date and time (and time zone) along with your friend code and I'll get back to you within two or three days.

If you guys didn't get the memo, I'm looking for a staff to help me write and edit this. Just go to the chapter labeled "STAFF WANTED" to see how to get in. That will also tell you I made a Twitter and FaceBook for The Rise of Mustang. For Twitter, we are called RiseofMustang. On FaceBook, search Mustang Ranger and click on the one with the Azelf picture. I will be giving updates on both Twitter and FaceBook.

Now finally, **_REVIEW_**!! Seriously guys, I need a broader view of who is actually reading this. I was very happy to see I made it onto yet _another_ favorite story list. But I honestly prefer reviews more than favorites. Anyways, the more reviews I get will affect how good the chapter is and how fast I update. But that wasn't really the case with this chapter... But I will be better next time! I promise! Ah well. I'll see you guys later. Night.


	17. 15: Hisomi

Hello everyone and welcome back from the break! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday here in the U.S. and I'm here to start another weekend on a good note. Those of you who do not celebrate Thanksgiving, I pity you and I'll help you get over your trauma with a new installment.

Well, a single review and seventeen hits. Both are okay, but I'd definitely like more. Okay, you know what, I'm going to come to you instead of trying to do this all alone. What can I do for you guys to get you to want to review? I know I can try to come out with a friggin' awesome chapter, but it's easier said than done. I know the battles need work, which is why I need a staff. Ah well... I'll just keep writing for my family because once I finally finish this, I'm printing it and getting it in full color paperback and putting it in my house library (not very big). My dad is a professional computer graphic designer so he did the cover, back, and spine designing of the book the other night. I may post it soon as my profile picture, but I need to photoshop it to hide my full name (-_-).

Mustang is going to be a bit of a baby in the beginning. I'm going to try and not go overboard with it. But just try to imagine how angry he feels with himself right now for not paying attention in battle and causing one of his pokémon to get injured enough to faint because of it.

Well the beginning notes are done for now so we can get on with the story.

* * *

Last Chapter:

Mustang defeats the Waterfall Colosseum but does not feel so great about it. He shows emotion towards Marina's Aipom but is also sad for not being able to defend Scizoro from Wormadam's attack.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

Chapter 15: Hisomi

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

It was 7:23 PM and since it was Winter, the sun went down at about 5:30 PM. There wasn't any snow since Pokétopia was a tropical island. The four teens walked down the sidewalk lit by fluorescent signs. Abigail was closest to the street with Mustang walking alongside her. Emma was on his right with Ace on hers, closest to the buildings.

To others, it was just four teens just casually walking. To Mustang and his friends, they were protecting the angered and fragile heart of the new Waterfall Colosseum victor from occasional fans coming to congratulate him.

Mustang had recovered slightly from his state of emptiness, but not wholly. He felt exhausted from his sadness. He was tired of being angry, tired of fighting something that couldn't be fought. The mint haired boy let his head hang slightly as he kept walking, letting out a sigh.

Abigail didn't look at Mustang but said "hey, let's get some food in you. Will that cheer you up?" This made Mustang smile. He didn't know why, it just happened.

Oddly, it felt like a fire had been lit in Mustang's stomach. He raised his head, a white, toothy smile on his face. "Yeah, that'd feel great, Abby." He wrapped his arm around her waist and kept walking.

Abigail, Emma, and Ace were quite confused at this new spirit Mustang had. "Um, you okay, Stang?" Ace asked in a very confused tone.

"Yeah. I've given up fighting life so now I'm just going to let it carry me," Mustang replied. Emma and Abigail looked at each other with an "is he serious?!" look. Ace just looked at his best friend in disbelief.

The three friends decided to just go with it for awhile, even though they thought their friend may have lost his mind. Nonetheless, the still walked down the concrete ground looking for a place to eat.

"So what do you guys feel like tonight," Mustang asked, his voice sounding a little more normal.

"Um... I can do anything," Abigail said. "You guys?"

Ace agreed. "Same."

Emma, being the quite and shy one, didn't fight the current and agreed as well. "Yeah, I'll just follow you guys."

"Dang it. I hate choosing..." Mustang sighed.

Ace got an idea and just walked into an entrance of a random restaurant on his right. The three friends stopped and looked at each other. "Should we follow," Mustang asked.

"We don't really have a choice," Emma replied and led her friends into the building.

The restaurant was called Hisomi. It was a pretty small restaurant with only ten tables or so in it, three of them taken. The walls were green with black designs running on them. The building was not very well lit, but the darkness was very relaxing.

Ace was one person away from ordering the food and was looking at the menu on the wall. Apparently, this was a weight loss restaurant. They only served tofu, rice, and vegetables and the only thing there was to drink was water. Mustang and the two girls made their way to Ace and started deciding what to order.

"Wait," Mustang said, looking at the large menu. "There's no meat."

"Yeah, silly," Emma exclaimed. "This restaurant is Hisomi. It's diet restaurant. I came here with my old roommate before she left Pokétopia."

"Dang it..." Mustang pouted. "There's no way I'm going to get full on this..."

Ace playfully punched Mustang in the arm. "Awww, is Stangy gonna be a baby and pout about his food," Ace taunted in a voice a mother uses when talking to her infant.

Mustang shot a glare at him, making Ace shut up. "I'm going to order, now." The fifteen year old walked up to the girl behind the counter. "Yeah, can I get steamed rice with tofu and vegetables on it?"

"Hai, yes," she responded with a thick Japanese accent. "Anything else," the girl asked.

"Oh, yeah," Mustang replied. "She's on my tab." Mustang pointed to Abigail.

"Wait, you're paying for me," Abigail asked.

'Aww! He's so sweet to her,' Emma thought.

"Yeah, why not," said Mustang.

"Because I can pay for myself," protested the purple haired girl.

Mustang chuckled. "Just order, will you?"

Abigail sighed and walked up to the Japanese woman. "Okay, I'll just have a salad with a small bowl of rice on the side."

"Hai," the girl repeated. "Seinen, your total comes to ₫10," she said to Mustang.

"No problem." Mustang took his wallet out and handed the woman a ten. She put it into the cash register and handed Mustang two ones back.

The two headed to a booth in a corner. Mustang, being a gentleman, carried the tray of food and drinks. Abigail sat between the wall and Mustang.

While the couple waited for their friends, they ate in silence. Suddenly, Abigail turned to Mustang.

"Listen, Mustang," she said. "I know you've been dreading this all day. You don't have to tell us the rest of your past tonight."

Mustang put down his fork and looked up. He didn't look at her - just stared sadly at the empty bench across the table.

"No, I need to get past this..." Mustang sighed.

Just then, Emma and Ace sat down, completely killing the mood. They were in mid-conversation about what future pokémon battles would be like.

"Well what if our pokémon become equipped with, like, weapons or armor or something?" Ace proposed.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Then why are we training them? They're already their own weapons and armor."

Meanwhile, Abigail and Mustang had moved their conversation to the privacy of texting.

"Why do you need to get past it?" Abigail's text said.

"Because if I don't, it'll just make my time in Pokétopia miserable," replied Mustang.

"Mustang, can't you just realize that Ace, Emma, and I are your friends because of who you are now? We don't care if you were a baddie. We all know you're a sweet, caring, good guy now."

"Fine... But I still need to tell someone to allow _myself_ to accept me for who I am today," Mustang said.

"Understandable. If you want, we can text or talk tonight when we're in our apartments," Abigail suggested.

"I'd like that. Thanks Abby. =)"

The two put their phones away and then noticed their friends staring at them.

Ace had a weird, questioning look on his face. "Were you two texting even though you are sitting right next to one another?"

"No," Abigail and Mustang said, synchronized. They looked at each other with panicked faces, knowing they had been caught.

Ace and Emma raised an eyebrow. Mustang snapped. "Okay, yeah we were. But it's nothing you should concern yourselves over."

"Ugh, you are so defensive..." Just as Ace finished his sentence, a man in a dark purple robe with a large gold necklace with Pokétopia's symbol on it walked to the edge of the table. The hood of the robe shielded his face so nobody could tell his identity.

The four friends stopped what they were doing and looked at the man.

"Um, can we help you?" Mustang asked cautiously.

"You're Mustang Ranger, correct?" His voice was deep and raspy. It was altogether creepy.

Abigail didn't like the look of this and hid behind Mustang, grabbing onto his arm, her face showing she was pretty scared. Mustang glanced at his friends momentarily before answering. Emma was behind Ace the same way Abigail was behind Mustang.

"Yes," he said hesitantly.

The hooded man smirked deviously. "I think," he paused. "We should step outside for a bit..."

Mustang's eyes widened at this. He looked at his companions, who all bore the same expression he had on his own face. Mustang felt Abigail's tender arms hug his right arm a bit tighter.

The mint haired boy looked at Ace and noticed his face was different from Abigail's, Emma's, or his own. It was a look of seriousness yet it had a mix of concern in it. He nodded at Mustang, not saying a word.

Mustang inhaled. "Fine. But nobody gets hurt," he told the man.

"Oh, well I can't guarantee that..." He gave a deep, throaty chuckle.

Despite what the man sounded like or looked like, they stood up and followed him outside.

On the way to the door, Mustang wrapped his arm tight around Abigail, leaned close to her ear and whispered "stay close."

* * *

Whoo! That was actually quite fun to write near the end. Yay for cheesiness in the last two words! Also yay for more plot and action! Well, it'll have a lot of action in the next chapter. Anyways, sorry for the slight delay of this. It's sooo hard updating as often as I do with school and everything I'm involved in. But hey, at least it's getting more frequent.

Well, I'd greatly appreciate it if you pressed that little green review button just below of this. Have a great weekend everyone! And in case I don't update before the holiday, have a very good Christmas and a happy New Year!


	18. 16: Trouble

Wow. Sorry about that extremely long break. I took a vacation from writing over Winter Break because I seriously needed it. I mean, come on. It _is_ called Winter _Break_. But I'm sorry it took so long. This chapter has turned out a lot differently than I thought it would. Now, how about we actually bring some violence into this fic? The fic is rated T after all... Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Last Chapter:

Mustang breaks free of his depression from the Waterfall Colosseum drama and the four friends head to Hisomi, a Japanese weight loss restaurant. While eating, a mysterious cloaked man orders they head outside.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

**

* * *

**

Chapter 16: Trouble

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

"Stay close."

The shady man led the teens down a road into a large square that looked to be an old, abandoned intersection with trash laying around in the shadows. The road was bathed in moonlight that lit up the square surprisingly well. There was no noise except the city sounds and the almost silent footsteps.

The man stopped in the middle of the intersection, causing Mustang, Abigail, Ace, and Emma to do the same. "My name is Rin." He laughed coldly. "We've been watching you for some time, Mustang _Evans_."

Mustang clenched his teeth at the last words. However, he was not surprised when Rin had said WE, either. No one fights alone anymore.

"Why don't we show Mustang and his friends our... hospitality." Rin eerily said the final word.

But it seemed that word was the cue for the dark shapes hiding in the shadows to come into the moon-bathed pavement. They were other hooded men and women, wearing the same clothing as Rin.

Mustang and his friends looked around the intersection and backed into each other with their shoulder blades all touching as they observed their situation carefully.

Mustang leaned his head back slightly and said quietly "be careful. I see a knife on one of them..."

"Hey, stop flapping your lips!" one of the shrouded men said.

"You know," Mustang said with a smart aleck tone. "I never did like anyone standing up to me. I had enough of that from my big brother..." He smirked.

"Get them," Rin ordered. All of the surrounding people lunged forward at Mustang and his friends.

"Everyone, duck and roll out from underneath them!" Mustang shouted.

Just before the robed men and women made contact with the teens, the friends crouched down and quickly rolled a few feet away before standing back up again.

When Mustang stood, he felt a sharp pain in his upper right arm and his left hand shot towards the pain. He removed his hand and saw his jacket was torn. The teen felt hot liquid running down his hand. Blood. Mustang had been gashed by the knife.

Mustang was snapped back to reality as he heard a young woman scream. He looked to his left and saw Abigail was pinned to the wall by the man with the blade. The man had it poised a few inches from her stomach. He was trying to kiss her on the mouth but she kept pushing him away and turning her head.

The mint haired boy lunged at the hooded man without hesitation, letting out a roar of fury. As Mustang collided with the man, he turned the knife, right before Mustang's stomach careened into the it's sharp point.

Sharp pain, splitting through Mustang's nerves. The teen went wide-eyed and rolled off the man, clutching the bloody knife's hilt.

He heard screaming... Then an explosion in his skull, around his temple. He tasted blood and everything went black...

**(A.N.: Whoa... Got kinda crazy right there... I kinda decided I needed to stop before I got carried away and actually killed some one and changed it to M for extreme violence. So I kept it at that amount for now. But don't worry, the chapter's not over.)**

¤₪Five days later₪¤

The teen's eyelids slowly opened. He lied on a soft bed. The room was dark except for the small amount of moonlight that danced through the closed blinds. A small beeping that sounded every second or so could be heard coming from some machine to the left of Mustang's bed.

"Hello?" Mustang said. "Is anyone there? Where am I?" he asked a bit louder than before.

Mustang heard coughing to the left of the bed. He noticed a curtain blocked the view of where the source of the coughing had come from.

By now, Mustang's eyes had adjusted to the darkness.

"Curtain," Mustang started the voice command. "Close."

As Mustang's voice rung out to the device, the cloth retracted into the wall, folding as it went.

As the curtain disappeared, a familiar face came into view.

"Ace?" Mustang gasped. "Ace, wake up!"

Ace's sleeping form groaned. His eyes were revealed as the lids of thing skin covering them opened.

"So you're finally awake?" Ace asked, giving a yawn.

Mustang sighed. "Yeah... What happened? How long has it been?"

"Well, it's been five days. And you were stabbed by the knife when you tried to save Abigail."

"Wait, _tried_?! Ace, please tell me she's fine!" Mustang was getting pretty worked up by this.

Ace explained. "Calm down, you have to stay calm. You've lost a lot of blood so you need to not get worked up. But trust me, she's fine now. She's in the room next door."

"Good, how about Emma?"

Mustang thought he saw Ace's face sadden in the small amount of light.

"She... She's on the edge of death..." Ace trailed off.

"What? What happened to her?" Mustang could barely talk after hearing about his brunette friend.

"She was shot by a ricochetting bullet from Conor... He didn't mean to hit her, but it bounced off a piece of the sidewalk and sunk into her upper right chest..." Ace's voice was barely audible.

"I'm so sorry... Wait. Did you say Conor...?"

Ace looked at his best friend and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what's the big deal?"

"Nothing... Do you know where he is now?" Mustang asked.

"He's coming by in the morning. He's come every morning to check up on us all. He says he needs to talk to you about something important."

'What could Conor could need to talk to me about...' Mustang pondered to himself.

"Well anyways, it's four in the morning so we should probably go back to bed so we won't miss Conor in a couple hours. Night Mustang." With that, Ace turned his back to Mustang and fell quietly asleep.

Mustang sat there for a few moments before speaking. "Night Ace..." he whispered. Mustang ordered the curtain to fold out again and fell asleep on his back with the beeping of the machine monitoring his pulse sending him off to a dreamless sleep...

* * *

Well there ya go. Not exactly the best chapter to write, but it needed to happen. Now I can finally find some more things write for the story. I was seriously stuck on this chapter for... A good week or so? I couldn't figure out where I wanted to take this chapter. But it kinda took on a life of it's own.

Anyways, a couple things. First off, next story to be updated is The Armorian Battles. So stay tuned for that. Secondly, I need people to send in a character description for me. And if you've already done one, I kinda want to have the others give me a character. But I have another task for you. All of you.

The final thing I need is a poll answer. On my profile, you'll see a poll at the top of the page. I would like for you to all answer it. The question is "Should Emma live or not in The Rise of Mustang?" Yeah, I know, kinda a dark topic. But one of my friends at school said I should cut her from the story and replace her with another character. I'm not sure how I'd do that, but I'd try. But that was just one opinion. I want an opinion from all of you. So yeah, just go ahead and answer that please.

Well, now that all of the ending notes are done, it's time for my apology. I'm really sorry I didn't get this out sooner, but I was really feeling like I needed a short vacation from writing for two weeks. But another break won't happen until Spring Break. But guess what. In Summer, writing is going to sky rocket with me updating every week on both stories. It'll be fun. So yeah, you should like that. Now could you all do me a favor as a late Christmas present? Just go and review this chapter. I'd really love it. Thanks guys, you're all awesome. Thanks for reading this far. Bye everyone.


	19. 17: Soltiude of Memories

So I owe you all an apology... I haven't come up with anything new in over two or so months. THIS fic hasn't even been updated for about six months... So I dearly apologize... My life is getting busier and harder and I don't know how much time I'll have to write anymore. Probably lost a few fans of this fic, so I dunno who all is reading this. For those of you who are, I greatly thank you.

Oh shoot. I am a total moron. xD For the poll on Emma, I put the answers as Yes and No when I wasn't asking a yes or no question. Sorry about that! I am fixing that now so let's start this poll over! I deleted the poll (someone already voted) and created the same poll, except I changed the answers to "Life" and "Death." So go vote! I have this one last chapter to do before the poll closes and Emma's fictional fate is decided.

Well let's move on, shall we?

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang

* * *

**

Chapter 17: Solitude of Memories

* * *

Mustang - 15

Ace - 15

Abigail - 15

Emma - 15

* * *

The dusty yellow bus rolled down the dirt road. It was a beautiful summers day in Solaceon Town.

A grimy little boy in a white t-shirt and tan shorts sat near the front of the vehicle. He peered out the window of the bus as he watched the trees pass by in a blur. His mint green hair, almost silver, hung low over his eyebrows. He clutched the small red and white orb in his right hand.

Another boy, who looked to be slightly older than the smaller boy next to him, sat high in the chair with his arms crossed over his brown button-up shirt. His jeans were a bit dusty and had splotches of dried mud spaced out over them. His dark brown hair had a red streak in it, making him look tougher. He had his eyes closed and seemed to be dozing lightly.

The bus came to a slow stop on the top of a hill where the road met with a small dirt path down to a small red bricked house at the bottom. A forest of pines stood proudly behind the house and two foot tall grass was everywhere surrounding the house and path.

The two boys stood and walked slowly to the door of the bus. Once outside, they turned, smiled, and waved to their friends still remaining on the bus. One older boy called out to the elder brother, "You take care of Mustang!"

Tanuki couldn't help but chuckle at this as he shouted back, "I will! Take care, Matt!"

As the bus pulled away, the two brothers turned and walked down the path to the brick house.

They stepped onto their porch and Tanuki raised his hand to the knocker on the door, gripping it tightly. He swung his hand, the metal clanging against the door loudly.

Nothing.

He repeated the motion.

Nothing.

"What's going on?" the small child asked, looking up at his big brother with those large, curious eyes.

Tanuki glanced down at his mint-haired brother. "I'm not sure."

Tanuki lowered his hand towards the door handle and turned it. To much of their surprise, it turned completely - opening the door.

A few Pidgey and Starly flew out the door as it opened, sending a small wave of dust through out the air.

Mustang and Tanuki dodged the birds just before they made it out the door. Mustang shielded his eyes and coughed due to the dust.

Tanuki peered into the house. No furniture. His attention was drawn to the kitchen's back door.

The glass from the door was shattered and laying all over the wood.

"Oh my gosh..." Tanuki said under his breath.

Mustang was just as devastated, if not more. Tears started to come from the tear ducts in the corners of his eyes. Partly due to the dust, some to the shock of what he saw.

Tanuki tensed up and was honestly a little scared. Himself, the bad boy of the town. He wrapped his arm around his ten-year-old brother's shoulders as Mustang cried into his side, wetting his shirt.

"Come on... We have to check this out..."

The two walked inside, their feet slipping slightly due to the dusty hardwood. Everthing was gone... They turned the corner so they could see everthing in the kitchen. All there was was the old table. The one with the two unstable legs.

The Evans family was going to throw it out, but never got around to it. An old note was attached it. Some of the paper was slightly water-damaged, but the writing was still easily legible.

"Boys," Tanuki read aloud. "We have decided to leave you two and go someplace you'll never find us. We don't know what you'll do, but we don't really care. See ya..."

Mustang felt something small and warm touch his shoulder. He let go of Tanuki, who was starting to breathe rougher due to his anger. The small boy turned around and there was the legendary pixie, Azelf, the Being of Willpower.

Azelf's eyes were buring a bright orange and Mustang's own eyes were trapped into staring into the embers. Soon, the color faded and left Mustang in a trance. While the child was distracted, Azelf disappeared by using Teleport silently.

"Tan?" Mustang asked.

"What is it," he replied coldly.

Tanuki's bitterness didn't affect Mustang at all. "We need to leave," the small child said. "We need to find someone who'll take care of us..."

"That'll be my job from now on. To take care of us. BOTH of us."

"Well I want to stick with someone who can sort of replace mom..." Mustang said quietly looking at the floor. The two brothers still had their backs turned to one another.

Tanuki sighed as he secretly wiped tears from his eyes, hiding them from his younger brother. 'I can't let him see me like this... He looks up to me... I have to be strong for him...' Tanuki thought.

"Well then let's go find someone who can do that for us..." Tanuki said.

Mustang's eyes opened to a harsh white light.

He was back in the hospital. No longer stuck in those memories... But the pain stuck with Mustang's heart.

Mustang focused his attention to the dark, sleeping form on the chair beside his bed. A girl. She had long blonde hair that fell a little below her shoulder blades. He didn't know her...

The mint haired teen's eyes fell to her face. He recognized her instantly and joy sprung to his chest.

Abigail.

* * *

Soooooo sorry! I've had Writer's Block almost ever since I last updated this! But I've recently got it back. Hopefully I still have my touch... I don't think I ever had much of one, but a lot of you seem to think differently. I'll try to write more this Summer.

So I'm also sorry that this chapter was much shorter than we all had hoped. I owe you guys big time. Well tell me what you guys think. Thanks for your time. I value it greatly.


	20. 18: Beauty of Change and Trust

Alright, thanks for the reviews. =) As you might have hoped for (I know at least one of you have), this chapter has gotten out a _lot_ fast than the last, and I again apologize for the briefness of that last chapter considering how long I took in posting it.

Well, without further ado, I now present the next chapter of The Rise of Mustang.

* * *

**The Rise of Mustang**

* * *

Chapter 18: Beauty of Change and Trust

* * *

Mustang - Age 15

Ace - Age 15

Abigail - Age 15

Emma - Age 15

* * *

Mustang rubbed his eyes groggily as he sat up fully. He looked to the windows.

Moonlight. Perfect. The young boy wanted some time to speak with Abigail alone before the doctors and nurses came in to give him the you-need-more-rest lecture.

Mustang first whispered, "Abi!" a few times before he finally had to lean over and tap her knee, to which the young woman awoke to.

Abigail first smiled then simultaneously yawned at stretched as she snapped out of her doziness. "Hey," she said groggily, "how'd you sleep?"

"Great," Mustang answered her. "So, what's with the blonde hair?" the mint haired boy asked playfully, raising an eyebrow.

The young woman laughed. "Well, you obviously don't know how long you've been asleep..."

Mustang was confused. "What do you mean...?"

"Mustang... You've been in a coma for three weeks..."

The young boy's eyes widened quickly. "Three," he stuttered. "Three weeks...?"

Abigail suddenly launched herself at Mustang, who quickly opened his arms to catch her flailing form, tears falling from her face. Mustang, not all to sure on what was happening, gave into her embrace and hugged her tightly and rubbing her back as the young woman lay next to him, Mustang giving her comfort as a father would do as his frightened child squeezed him after waking up from a terrible nightmare.

"Shhhh..." Mustang whispered into her ear as she quietly sobbed into his shoulder, wetting the patient's robe. "Everything is going to be alright..."

Abi pushed herself up quickly and looked him in the eyes, tears running down her cheeks with her eye shadow trailing not too far behind. "It's not alright... Something's wrong," she whispered through sniffs.

Mustang backed his head away slightly, trying to think of what could be wrong.

"Emma still hasn't woken up... She did once, about a week and a half ago, but it's... A whole team of doctors are working on the situation... Some of them aren't just from Pokétopia, butflew in by request from elite doctors here... Mustang! She-!"

Mustang cut her off with a finger to her lips. "I promise, Abi, I'll make sure everything turns out fine," he said to her tenderly. "You trust me, don't you?"

Abigail wiped her eyes and attempted a smile. "I trust you..."

"Good. Then you know that I'll do everything in my willpower to make sure you get your best friend back." Mustang kissed her forehead gently.

Abigail smiled and moved next to Mustang again, his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close.

She quietly started laughing. "You know..." she said, causing Mustang to look at her curiously. "I must look like such a mess right now..."

Mustang laughed and pulled her to himself in a playful manner. "You look fine, trust me."

"Psh, _only_ fine?" she retorted in a very playful and sassy manner.

Mustang sighed happily as he watched her eyes scanning the room around them. "You know what I meant," he said with a smile, his eyes trailing to the window again.

"I love you."

Mustang sat up abruptly turned his head quickly to look at Abigail, his eyes widened. "What...?" he said almost at a whisper.

She just looked at him and smiled kindly. "I love you," she repeated.

Mustang laughed and wiped a few strands of hair out of her face. "I love you, too, Abigail Haruno."

Time seemed to come to a complete stand still as the young couple closed their eyes and pressed their lips against their partner's. The kiss lasted for merely a couple seconds but to

Abigail and Mustang, it felt like hours.

Mustang suddenly pulled back, leaving Abigail sitting there, concerned if she did something wrong. Then she looked into her love's tender, brown eyes, their comforting power immediately soothing her thoughts. She felt at home again.

For the first time in seven years, Abigail Haruno felt home. Oh, how she missed the feeling... Of being loved, taken care for, desired, and many other feelings.

The two couldn't help but smile to themselves as they went to their old position of laying down next to one another on the cozy hospital bed.

Silence swept over the room for a good couple minutes until Mustang decided to make a move.

"Abi," he said firmly, causing her to look up at him with her small puppy eyes. "I need to make sure Emma lives. I have an idea as to how to do that, but I'm going to need your help."

"Alright," she replied. "I'm with you on anything."

"Great. First, I need something of Emma's. Or at least something with her scent on it."

Abigail raised her eyebrow. "Why would you need something like that?"

Mustang looked at her. "You'll see. But first, do you have something of hers with you?"

The blonde reached to the floor for her purse and came back up with a red silk scarf. "I have this, but I don't know if it smells like her or not. It hasn't been on her in weeks, remember."

"Worth a try," Mustang said, taking the cloth from her small hand. "Alright, next on the list, do you know where my pokéballs are? We're going to need them... Or at least one in particular."

"Um, yeah, I think so," Abigail said. "They should be in the PPTC."

"PPTC?" Mustang asked curiously.

"It stands for Patient Pokémon Treatment Center. It's just down a floor and through a couple halls."

Mustang knew she was hiding something. "Which halls..."

"Um, that's not important. Just let me handle everything," she said with a devious smile.

"Abigail, look at me," Mustang said as he grabbed her wrist as she stood up. She turned at looked at him with a passion in her eyes.

"Just trust me on this one," the ex-Team Galactic Commander said as she twisted her hand and pressed into Mustang's wrist, causing him to release her. And with that, she walked off quietly through the automatic doors.

* * *

Alright guys, time for some big things to go on in this fic. Well, starting next chapter, that is.

Stupid me! I hate the set up for the polls on this site, just for the record. Well, out of curiosity, I checked the poll for Emma's life. Turns out, it changed the option of "Poll in Profile" from my YES, to NO. So I finally put it back on my profile... So **GO VOTE IF EMMA WILL LIVE OR DIE**, because I really want to know what you guys want. It's time for her to have her fate made up.

Well, that's all for now. Get ready for some action next chapter. ;D


End file.
